Jamaica General Elections: Over 120K eligible voters fail to collect Voter ID cards

Jamaica: The general elections in Jamaica are scheduled to take place on September 3rd, 2025, with major political parties naming their candidates for all the parliamentary constituencies during the Nominations Day earlier this week on Monday. The election commission of Jamaica have shared that there are 2,077,799 registered voters and as of now more than a lakh voter ID cards remain uncollected.

The two major parties - the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the strongest opposition contender People's National Party (PNP) nominated candidates for a total of 63 constituencies. Other smaller parties standing for this year’s general elections include Jamaica Progressive Party (47 candidates) and the United Independent’s Congress (7 candidates).

According to the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, around 2,077,799 registered voters will cast their vote during the elections. In addition, the Director of Elections Glasspole Brown shared that electors without a voter card will be allowed to cast their ballot considering their names appear on the voters’ list.

He said, “As long as you are on the voters’ list, you will be allowed to vote, but the process will involve you filling out some forms and taking an oath.” Brown noted that during the oath, one has to swear that he/she is the correct registered voter. 

The director also noted that although individuals can still vote without a voter ID card, electors whose ID cards are available, are being encouraged to collect them from their Electoral Office for Jamaica (EOJ) constituency office as early as possible. 

“If you are not yet in possession of your new voter ID card, we suggest that you do so quickly before September 3,” Brown urged.

Notably, around 120,000 voter ID cards are being kept in the office waiting to be collected by their respective owners, as stated by the EOJ.  A large number of the uncollected cards are for individuals who registered to vote as early as 2016, initially receiving cards set to expire in 2019, but whose validity was later extended until 2021. 

Also, the Public relations Manager at EOJ, Daynia Harper, said that the voter ID usage makes the identification process at polling stations easier and smoother. She said, “Having the voter ID card on Election Day makes the process quicker and it makes it smoother, resulting in shorter lines and shorter wait times for persons.”