Elections Officials plan for 19 Single Member Electoral Districts in 2017

The Elections Office senior management team are already in the planning stages for next General Election. The May 2017 General Elections are approximately 580 days away, and with the passage of the Nineteen Single Member Electoral District Boundaries Order, 2015, the Elections Office will action the mandate from the Legislature, and take steps to incorporate the EBC report recommendations into the plans for the 2017 General Elections, as stipulated for in the Motion.

The Electoral Boundary Commission, was chaired by Dr Lisa R. Handley, PhD of the United States, appointed by the Governor, and included local attorneys Ms Adrianne Webb appointed following consultation with the Premier and Mr. A. Steve McField appointed following consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. Her Excellency the Governor, Helen Kilpatrick had received the final report from the Electoral Boundary Commission on 20 August 2015, and the report accepted by the Legislative Assembly in whole.

The next steps for the Elections Office include making recommendations for Legislative changes to the Elections Law which may be required to implement the mandate, work on logistics of the Elections staff and paraphernalia requirements, training, changes in polling requirements, along with voter communications. It is hoped that the Legislative amendments will be considered expeditiously to allow the amendments to be incorporated in the detailed project plan for the 2017 General Elections.

Wesley Howell, Supervisor of Elections shares that “Communicating changes in the elections process to voters has always been a key priority for the Elections Office, and with the magnitude of the changes recommended in the EBC report, the Elections Office plans to continue the tradition of offering guidance about the changes to voters and other stakeholders”.