Media Releases

The Elections and Boundaries Commission wishes to notify the public that the Offices of the Returning Officer for the Electoral Districts of Bon Air/Arouca/Cane Farm and Five Rivers and the Office for the Returning Officer for the Electoral Districts of Malabar North/Malabar South/Tumpuna in the Local Government Elections 2023, have been relocated.

Ms. Sharon Taitt-Foncette

Returning Officer for the Electoral Districts of Bon Air/Arouca/Cane Farm and Five Rivers

c/o Therlock Co. Ltd.

Lot 1 Orange Grove Road

Trincity

Formerly located at 244 Eastern Main Road, Cane Farm, Arouca

and

Ms. Sheelah Inniss

Returning Officer for the Electoral Districts of Malabar North/Malabar South/Tumpuna

Malabar Phase IV Community Centre

Holly Betaudier Place, Malabar Phase 4, Arima

Formerly located at Arima New Government Primary School, Buena Vista Boulevard, Arima

The Commission requests all relevant parties to be mindful of this change and apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

Changes in Address of Returning Officers

The Elections and Boundaries Commission wishes to remind all political parties, individuals who propose to contest the Local Government Elections, 2023 and the public that Nomination Day is Monday 26^th June, 2023

The Returning Officers will be in office during the hours 9: 00 am – 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00.p.m.

for the purpose of receiving the nomination of any duly qualified candidate.

The opportunity is taken to inform all prospective candidates that Election Rule 23(6) of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 2:01 stipulates the required documentation that a party candidate must submit to the Returning Officer on Nomination Day, i.e.,

A Returning Officer shall not recognize a candidate as a party candidate unless he has been informed on nomination day by the candidate in writing that he is a member of the party and this membership is confirmed by a list of party candidates supplied to the Returning Officer by the party of which he claims membership not later than nomination day.

Nomination Forms are available at the Offices of the respective Returning Officers and at the Central Electoral Office, Elections and Boundaries Commission – Scott House, 134-138 Frederick Street, Port of Spain but can also be found here for your ease of reference:

Form No 37 

Form 38

Form 41

Form 42 

The fifty-five persons who have been appointed to serve as Returning Officers for the August 14, 2023 Local Government Elections were presented with Writs of Election, issued by the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, giving them the authority to cause a poll to be taken in their respective electoral districts on behalf of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

In her Opening Remarks to the Returning Officers and some prospective Election Clerks, Mrs. Fern Narcis-Scope, Chief Election Officer thanked the attendees for their commitment to civic duty and reminded them of the importance of transparency and integrity in building the public’s trust and confidence in the electoral process in support of fair and free elections.

Please read the full press release here

RETURNING OFFICERS RECEIVE THEIR WRITS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS 2023

The public is advised that the processing of applications from persons eligible to be treated as Special Electors for the upcoming Local Government Elections of Monday 14^th August, 2023 has begun.

The deadline for the submission of applications is Monday 26^th June, 2023

THE CATEGORIES OF PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO BE CONSIDERED SPECIAL ELECTORS ARE LISTED HEREUNDER FOR YOUR GENERAL INFORMATION:

(a) a member of the Police Service, of the Special Reserve Police established under the Special Reserve Police Act, or of the Estate Police established under the Supplemental Police Act;

(b) a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force;

(ba) member of the Prison Service;

(c) a member of the Commission, the Chief Election Officer, the Deputy Chief Election Officer and the Assistant Chief Election Officer;

(d) the Returning Officer of an electoral district other than that in which he is registered for the purpose of the election;

(e) a Presiding Officer, a Deputy Presiding Officer or a Poll Clerk;

(f) a Polling Agent;

(g) a candidate or the husband or wife of a candidate for an electoral district other than that in which he is registered for the purpose of the election;

(h) an election agent or sub-agent, who is registered for the purposes of the  election in an electoral district other than that of his candidate;

(i) an elector who is unable or likely to be unable to go in person to the polling station at which he is entitled to vote unless he travels between Trinidad and Tobago;

(j) an elector who is unable or likely to be unable to go in person to the polling station at which he is entitled to vote by reason of being-

(i) a patient in a public hospital, or in a private hospital approved by the Commission, or an inmate in a public institution; or

(ii) a prisoner within the meaning of that expression in Section 2 of the Prisons Act.

(k) a member of the flight crew of an aircraft;

(l) a person engaged in offshore petroleum operations, or

(m) any other person or member of any organisation as the Commission sees fit.

Any eligible person who wishes to vote as a Special Elector, must ensure that his/her application on the Form No. A-23 is submitted either to:

1. Any EBC Registration Area Office or Sub-Office OR
2. to the Returning Officer for his/her electoral district at their office by the closing date of Monday 26^th June, 2023.

Form A-23, the relevant application form, is found hereunder for your ease of applying

Form A-23 Application to vote as special elector Updated

In accordance with Election Rule (4) (1) of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 2:01, the Returning Officer shall within two days after the receipt of the writ of election or within two days after he has been notified by the Chief Election Officer, whichever may be the sooner, and not less than twelve days clear before the day fixed by the writ as nomination day

1. publish in the Gazette and in at least one newspaper election notices in the form set out as Form No. 35 in the Prescribed Form Rules;
2. cause copies of the notices to be posted at his office and a such other places in the electoral district as he may deem necessary.

The Election Notices for the  Local Government Elections of August 14th, 2023 are hereby listed for your information.

Notices of Election for the Local Government Elections 2023

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is pleased to advise the public that effective June 1, 2023 persons will no longer require appointments to conduct transactions at any EBC office.

 Persons conducting any of the following transactions need only to present themselves, with the relevant documents at their respective Registration Area Office:

• Applying for an identification card for the first time
• Renewing an expired identification card
• Replacing a lost, stolen or defaced identification card or
• Changing a name and/or address or both on their registration record

For further information, please contact the Corporate Communications Unit at 625-5924 or commanager@ebctt.com

The Elections and Boundaries Commission is looking for persons interested in working as Poll Day Staff for the upcoming Local Government Elections 2023 in the following positions:

• Presiding Officer
• Deputy Presiding Officer
• Poll Clerk
• Information Officer

Interested persons MUST be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago who is registered to vote in Trinidad. Former Poll-Day Staff must re-apply

You can submit your application online HERE.

Deadline for submission of applications is Sunday 4th June, 2023. Late applications will not be accepted.

Please Note: Political Activists (e.g. persons who are actively involved in campaign activities) will not be eligible for selection.

Invitation for Poll Day Staff

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is advising the public of the temporary closure of its Registration Area Office for Tunapuna, which is located at the Tunapuna Administrative Complex, Centenary Street, Tunapuna on Friday 5th May, 2023.

The closure of this specific office has become necessary to facilitate the scheduled spraying of the Complex by the Insect Vector Unit of the Ministry of Health. All persons with confirmed appointments for first issue of identification card transactions at the EBC’s Tunapuna Registration Area Office have been contacted and all other persons are advised not to visit this Office as it will be closed.

The EBC aplogizes for the inconvenience that this closure may cause but it is in the interest of public health. Our regular service at this office will resume on Monday 8th May, 2023.

The Board of Commissioners of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) led by Chairman, Mark Ramkerrysingh and Mrs. Fern Narcis-Scope, Chief Election Officer, met with representatives of major political entities in both Trinidad and Tobago, to sensitize and inform them about the EBC’s upcoming National Field Verification exercise.

This Exercise will be conducted on both islands in the upcoming months and will allow the EBC to fulfil its legal mandate of providing a comprehensive update to the country’s List of Electors. This List forms the foundation of election administration and is crucial to protecting the integrity of all elections. Importantly, it will ensure, as far as practicable, that each person whose name appears on the Electoral List is listed at his/her correct address within the respective polling divisions.

Chairman Ramkerrysingh indicated that whilst standard field verification forms part of the daily and routine work of the EBC there is also the occasional need for a national verification exercise, which is much larger in scope. The last such exercise was conducted in 2001. He also noted that this upcoming exercise will be critically important, as in election management it is often said, “…the outcome of any election is only as good as the credibility of its electoral list”.

The full Press Release can be found here

EBC meets with political parties as it starts its National Field Verification Exercise of Electors

The Elections and Boundaries Commission  is advising the public of the resumption of normal operations at its Registration Area Offices for both Chaguanas and Tabaquite/Talparo, located at 47 Mulchan Seuchan Road, Chaguanas on Monday 17th April,2023.

These offices were closed to the public on Friday 14^th April, 2023 due to electrical issues at the building.

For further information please contact the Corporate Communications Unit at 625-5924 or commanager@ebctt.com