Biometric voter verification not possible in short term: Guyana Elections Commission

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has again spoken about the lingering question of deploying a biometric voter verification system for the country’s upcoming elections, saying that doesn’t look feasible in the short term as such a move requires a constitutional amendment.

The integration of biometrics in Guyana’s electoral system beyond voter registration has occupied a greater part of political discussions in the country in the past many months.

Early this month, some political party leaders said it was time to take a definitive decision on the issue, and not continue to entertain unnecessary delays.

Opinions recently got even louder when on January 16, the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh (Rtd), said the deployment of such a system for the upcoming elections was not possible given that the elections are already at hand and many processes need to be completed before the biometric system is put in place.

In a press release issued on January 28 to provide clarifications on the Chairperson’s position, the election agency referenced findings of a feasibility study which results the Chief Electoral Officer, Vishnu Persaud, disclosed last year. The study had noted that while biometrics can enable credible and transparent elections, they also come with challenges including cost.

According to GECOM, multiple reports in the public sphere appear to be “examining such an important matter in isolation by only attributing prominence to the benefits of the use of biometrics without due consideration of the legal hurdle and by extension the challenges that can be experienced.”

“It must be noted that while the CEO’s feasibility study acknowledged the benefits of biometric fingerprint identification, there were several challenges highlighted,” the agency wrote.

It then went ahead to list some of the potential challenges of introducing the biometric system which include technical difficulties, data security concerns, inclusivity issues, legal and ethical problems, issues of accuracy and reliability, infrastructure and operational challenges.

“It was therefore against this backdrop and having considered the deliberations at the Commission that the Chairman decided that even if GECOM were to implement biometrics as a supplementary tool to identify persons, this will still require legislation since such a system would impose an additional requirement on voters and would therefore be unconstitutional,” the GECOM release states.

In line with the Chairperson’s declaration, the GECOM said it will be difficult in the present circumstances to hope for biometrics verification in the upcoming elections as it needs a lot of time to hold consultations with different stakeholders, procure equipment, train staff, and carry out public education campaign on the introduction of the system.

“Against this backdrop, it is necessary for all stakeholders to be reminded that GECOM must operate within the constitutional and legislative provisions while ensuring that no voter is denied his/her constitutional right to vote. GECOM takes this opportunity to categorically state that it will ensure the safeguards and integrity of its processes in the conduct of elections that will guarantee public confidence in a system that is free, fair, transparent and credible,” the body pledged.

“An insult to the people of Guyana”

GECOM’s outing has already sparked reactions and criticisms. Village Voice quotes General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis, as slamming the narrative which the election agency has been pushing that a biometric system is such a difficult thing to implement.

While stating that such an argument shows lack of political will, Lewis called the actions of the GECOM as “an insult to the people of Guyana,” insisting that “biometrics is the solution to eliminate voter fraud, especially in the politically hostile environment we face, where accusations of rigging are constant.”

Lewis also urged the agency Chairperson to grow above partisan considerations and do what is right for the country and for posterity, adding that even “if elections have to be delayed to get it right, then so be it.”

Opposition ploy to delay vote

In another reaction, the Attorney General Anil Nandlall said focusing too much on biometrics is a strategy being used by the opposition to delay the elections.

He said already, there is biometrics use in Guyana’s electoral process at the level voter registration, and rejected the opinion that the non-introduction of the system at the polling station will necessarily lead to voter fraud.

Nandlall, had in an outing last November, mentioned that the introduction of a biometric voter verification system would require a legislative amendment if it must be constitutional.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  elections  |  Guyana  |  voter registration