Electoral Commission of Jamaica

The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) is the independent statutory agency of the Government of Jamaica responsible for organising, conducting and supervising elections, by-elections and referendums.

The Electoral Commission (Interim) Act (2006) defines the objective of the Electoral Commission as:

"to safeguard the democratic foundations of Jamaica by enabling eligible electors to elect, through free and fair elections, their representatives to govern Jamaica."

The functions of the Electoral Commission are defined by law and in summary are

1. Establish policies for governing the registration of electors
2. Conduct general elections, local government elections, by-elections or referendums
3. Compile and maintain the register of eligible electors
4. Verify the identity of eligible electors
5. Approve political parties eligible to receive state funding
6. administer electoral funding and financial disclosure requirements
7. monitor election expenditure by candidates or their official agents
8. review the number of constituencies and boundaries
9. determine polling divisions within constituencies

In October 2006, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the Electoral Commission (Interim) Act 2006, which established the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ). The Commission replaced the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) that had been established by the Representation of the People Act 1979

The day-to-day operations of the ECJ are carried out through the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) which is a public government agency established in 1943 to administer the holding of Parliamentary and Local Government Elections.

The holding of Parliamentary and Local Government Elections and all activities pertinent to these elections are regulated by the Representation of People Act and the Local Governance Act.

The Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) was established in 1979, dissolved in 2006 and replaced by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ). Errol Miller was the last Chairman of the EAC, from December 2000 to December 2006, and the first Chairman of the ECJ from December 2006 to December 2012.

Membership of the Electoral Commission is governed by the Electoral Commission (Interim) Act (2006). The commission has nine members appointed by the Governor-General, as follows:

1. Four Nominated Commissioners, two nominated the Prime Minister and two nominated by the Leader of the Opposition
2. Four Selected Commissioners jointly agreed upon by both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
3. The eight Commissioners unanimously nominate the Director of Elections
4. The Commissioners also nominate one their number to be Chairman of the Commission

Selected Commissioners and the Director of Elections are appointed for a period of seven years, while Nominated Commissioners serve for four years. The Director of Elections and the Selected Commissioners are disqualified by law to vote in any General or Local Government Elections or referendums.