History of the Electoral Department
An Office of the Chief Registering Officer, headed by the Local Commissioner, Mr. Crichlow Matthews was established in the 1960’s to administer Local Government Elections and to conduct General Elections.
In 1966, a house-to-house survey was conducted throughout the island. The Department acquired some Willson Indentograph Cameras, which took black and white photographs and Mr. Eric Gibbs, Mr. Valdemar Millington and others spearheaded a program for the production of the Barbados Identification (ID) Card. A pilot scheme was carried out with the Port Authority, the Sanitation Service Authority and the District Hospitals and in 1969 the first ID Cards were issued for the By-Election in the Constituency of Bridgetown.
In September 1969, Mr. Dennis Smith was appointed as the Chief Registering Officer. Camera Centres were established throughout the island in various constituencies and ID cards were issued Island-wide.
On April 1, 1971, the name of the Chief Registering Officer was changed to Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Department was established and headed by the first Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. Dennis Smith. The Officer was then situated at “Verona House”, Bank Hall, St. Michael. In September of the same year, General Elections were held with the Chief Electoral Officer as the Supervisor of Elections and ID Cards were used for the first time in General Elections and at which persons eighteen (18) years of age, were allowed to vote.
In 1972, a Senior Photographer and other personnel were appointed to the Department which was relocated to the National Insurance Building, Fairchild Street, Bridgetown, from where the September 2, 1976 General Elections were conducted.
The National Registration System and the Voters Registration System were computerized with the assistance of the Data Processing and Statistical Service Departments from April 1, 1979 and ID cards were issued with coloured photographs.
In January 2001, a Genicom printer was used to print the Register of Electors/Voters list; however, it was for the St. Thomas By-Election of September 21, 2001 that the Department printed the Register of Electors for the first time without the assistance of the Data Processing Department.
In 2009, digital cameras were introduced and with the use of laptop computers, the computerizing of the registration service from Constituency Registration Centers began. This was followed with the introduction of digital signature pads in February 2010.
