Bahamas look towards introducing biometric voter ID cards with CBN

The government of the Bahamas plans to introduce a new biometric voter identification scheme, replacing the current laminated paper voter cards with biometric ID cards.

Last week, Prime Minister Philip Davis opened a debate on the Parliamentary Elections Bill, noting that the legislation represents a modernization of how the country registers voters, issues voter identification and administers polling stations.

According to the new rules, voter ID cards will be valid for 10 years, while voters will be required to perform a biometric verification exercise once in a decade to maintain the integrity of the register.

“During this process, voters will appear in person, confirm or update their personal and biometric information and, if needed, receive a new card,”  Davis said in a speech delivered to the Parliament last Wednesday.

The biometric voter registry will not be built from scratch: Approximately 80 percent of Bahamian voters already have biometric data on file with the Passport Office, Davis clarified. The new legislation will allow voters to consent to a secure data transfer.

The Caribbean island nation has been working on introducing biometric voter ID cards since 2020, when the former administration introduced the legal authority for biometric cards, Davis adds. Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis told the Parliament last week that he supports the biometric registration scheme.

“We don’t have any problems giving our fingerprints to Mr. Apple or Google,” says Minnis. “Why can’t we trust our administrators?”

Other lawmakers, however, are questioning the need for biometric cards and potential cybersecurity risks, including MPs from the oppositional Free National Movement.

Canadian Bank Note to create new voter cards

The biometric cards are designed to replace the current voter registration system, which is outdated and vulnerable to errors. Paper voter cards are easy to duplicate, forge or lose, Prime Minister Davis said during his speech.

The new bill, however, does not introduce online or electronic voting, with the process of casting and counting votes remaining entirely manual, he adds.

According to the proposed legislation, the new voter cards will be optional and will feature digital fingerprints, facial recognition and electronic signatures. Davis noted that he would like to see the country move towards mandatory voter registration for all citizens, The Tribune 242 reports.

Assisting the Parliamentary Registration Department in producing the biometric voter cards is Canadian Bank Note (CBN).

The Canada-based security printing and identification company has previously worked with the Bahaman government on renewing the country’s Border Management System (BMS) and developing and deploying the Integrated Immigration Management System (IIMS). The systems were introduced to manage the 6 million travelers who pass through the popular tourist destination every year.

The IIMS includes an Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), automated passport control, an identity document management system and more. The project was later extended to include e-passport and electronic visa (eVisa) systems.

CBN implemented the project in stages, the company explains in its case study. The system reduces passenger processing time at the border from over one minute to under 30 seconds, according to the firm.

The Canadian Bank Note Company also supplied the technology for St Kitts and Nevis’ biometric passport infrastructure, launched last year.

Article Topics

Bahamas  |  biometrics  |  Canadian Bank Note Company  |  Caribbean  |  digital ID  |  elections  |  legislation  |  voter identification