Call for Immediate Revocation of SRO No. 39 of 2025to Protect Citizens’ Right to Vote

Press Statement

I have written formally to the Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Dominica calling for the immediate revocation of Statutory Rule and Order No. 39 of 2025, which restricts the forms of identification accepted for voter registration and confirmation.

This new regulation confines acceptable ID to a passport, driver’s license, or social security card, effectively denying thousands of Dominican citizens of their constitutional right to vote. Many elderly citizens, and persons of limited means who are required to confirm their registration to remain on the voter’s list, do not possess these forms of identification.

Under the Regulation of Electors Act (2025), before the introduction of this particular SRO, citizens could register or confirm their registration using a birth certificate, an affidavit of identity, and a passport-size photograph certified by a Justice of the Peace or Notary Public.

That system was fair, inclusive, and consistent with the spirit of universal adult suffrage

guaranteed by the Constitution.

The right to vote is not a privilege reserved for those with passports, social security cards, or driver’s licenses. It is a fundamental democratic right, and no electoral law or regulation should arbitrarily deprive citizens of it.

I therefore urge the Electoral Commission to act without delay to revoke SRO No. 39 of 2025 and to restore the previous, accessible identification procedures. The integrity of our democracy demands nothing less.

HON. DELBERT R. PARIS