A Framework for Voter Education, Belize Elections and Boundaries

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Myrtle Palacio Chief Elections Officer, BELIZE Elections and Boundaries Department January 2004 Table of Contents Background 1 Electoral Management Bodies of Belize 3 The “What Is” 4 About Us–A Profile 6 Selecting our Leaders– Past and Present 9 Introduction 10 Legislative Bodies– Selected Members 11 Elections Under Adult Suffrage 15 Elections After Adult Suffrage 17 Elections In Post-Independent Belize 19 The Who and How of Government 20 The Belize Constitution 21 What Is and Who Forms A Government? 22 The Legislative Branch 22 The House of Representatives The Senate The Executive Branch 23 The Governor General 23 The Prime Minister & Cabinet 23 The Public Service 24 Government Bodies 24 The Judicial Branch 25 The Magistrate Court 25 The Supreme Court 25 The Court of Appeal 25 The Privy Council 25 The Voting Process 26 Types of Elections 27 Who Conducts Elections? 27 Responsibilities of Election Officers 28 General 28 The Hierarchy 28 Returning Officer 28 Election Clerk 29 The Presiding Officer 29 Poll Clerk 30 Counting Clerk 30 Polling Agents and Candidates– Other Stakeholders 30 Nomination Procedure 31 Voting Procedure 32 Who can Vote? 33 Other Rules 33 Proxy Voter 34 Counting Rules 35 Voter Registration 36 Why Register to Vote? 37 Laws Pertaining to Voter Registration 37 Who is Eligible to Register? 37 Where to Register? 37 How Do You Become Registered? 38 On Objections 39 Revision Court 40 What Activities are Transacted? 41 Dealing With Disqualifications 41 Other Relevant Laws 42 The Referendum Act 43 Boundary Delimitation/Redistricting 45 The “What Is” 45 Historical Overview 46 Constituency and Boundary Changes 46 by Year of Change A Framework for Voter Education 1 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ BACKGROUND he Objective of “A Framework for Voter Education” is to provide a resource Tfor organizations or individuals who wish to educate Belizeans on the rights and responsibilities of Electors, as well as those desirous of developing curricula in civics. It consists of a collection of salient, topical areas for voter education. For quick reference and easy reading, the presentation is organized in a mix of popular education and brochure style format. Although the content is in detailed summary form, the quantity and variety of topics make this book a one-stop resource for civic education in Belize. The target audiences are: Educators Curriculum Developers Government Agencies Political Organizations Civil Society Non-governmental Organizations Youth Groups Church Groups Lay Persons Media Houses This is all encompassing. The onus will then be on the Users to select the topics that are relevant to their specific target groups. he information gathered stems from intensive primary and secondary research, Tresulting in the following self-publications: Who and What in Belizean Elections (1993) Selecting Our Leaders—Past and Present (1999) Brochures (2000 & 2001) on: • Election Process • Referendum Act • About Us • Voting Process Election day Guidelines for Political Agents (2002) 2 A Framework for Voter Education ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Guide to Election Officials (2002) ther useful information was taken from: O The Representation of The People Act (ROPA) , Chapter 9, Revised Edition 2000 The Belize Constitution Act, Chapter 4, Revised Edition 2000 How We Are Governed oth the ROPA and the Belize Constitution have been made available on the Binformation super highway by the Attorney General’s Ministry, Belize. The Website address is www.belize.gov.bz. The Elections and Boundaries Department’s Website, www.belize-elections.org is updated on a timely basis with information relevant to the registration and voting processes. A Framework for Voter Education 3 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Electoral Management Bodies of Belize 4 A Framework for Voter Education ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ THE “WHAT IS” What is The Elections and Boundaries Commission? he role of the Elections and Boundaries Commission is set out in Section 88 T(13) (14) of the Constitution of Belize which states: (13) “The Commission shall be responsible for the direction and supervision of the registration of voters and the conduct of elections, referenda and all matters connected therewith”. (14) “In the exercise of its functions, the Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority and shall, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, act in accordance with the Representation of the People Act or any other law, rule or regulation relating to elections”. Also Section 90 empowers the Commission to make proposals to the National Assembly regarding boundary redistricting. here is a Chairman and four Members. The Chairman and two members are Tappointed by the Governor General, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. The other two members are appointed by the Governor General, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, with the concurrence of the Leader of the Opposition. he terms consult and concur empower both the Government and the Opposition to Tappoint members to the Elections and Boundaries Commission. Two criteria for appointment to the Commission as required by the Belize Constitution in Section 88 (1) are that members must be persons of: Integrity High national standing A Framework for Voter Education 5 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ What is The Elections and Boundaries Department? lectoral Management is mandated by the Representation of the People Act. EAdministered by a Chief Elections Officer, the Elections and Boundaries Department is responsible for the day to day electoral management on behalf of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, specifically the following sections: Administrative Provisions Elections Continuous Registration Election Rules Adjustment of Electoral Records on Redistricting he Staff of the Elections and Boundaries Department are Public Officers as defined Tby the Belize Constitution whose conduct is governed by the Public Service Regulations and, where appropriate, the General Workers Rule. The Chief Elections Officer is also the Head of the Department. 6 A Framework for Voter Education ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ABOUT US - A PROFILE Overview he Elections and Boundaries Department is one of two Election Management Bodies Tin Belize. The Department was initiated in 1989 after amendments to Section 88 of the Constitution (S.I. No. 26 of 1988), and the resultant amendments to the Administrative Provisions of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA). At that time the responsibility for staffing and other administrative obligations were transferred from the Elections and Boundaries Commission to the Public Services Commission. The Chief Elections Officer was appointed by the Governor General in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister. An amendment to Section 107 of the Constitution in 2001, transferred the appointment of the Chief Elections Officer to the Public Services Commission. The Chief Elections Officer is the Head of the Department. The primary functions of the Department are: Electoral Administration Voter Education Electoral Administration ome 90% of the Department’s workload focuses on electoral administration. Five Stasks in electoral administration are directly related to registration matters. These are: The maintenance of electoral registers both electronic and manual Registration of new electors Processing transfers of electors from one division to another Processing of changes, such as change of names and addresses within the division Preparing replacements of Identification Cards Producing new Identification Cards Other related tasks are making corrections, ensuring quality control to maintain the integrity of the database, conducting physical investigations on the residences of the new registrants, preparing for and presenting transactions at the Monthly Revision Court, and making representations at the Annual Revision Court. A Framework for Voter Education 7 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Voter Education oter education has been an initiative of the Department since November 1999, with Vthe launching of a first publication entitled, “Selecting Our Leaders—Past and Present”. The primary focus of the Department is to: Provide the tools and support needed by personnel Maintain an accurate, transparent database and electoral systems Forge partnerships Share, link, network and reach out to like Organizations and Stakeholders This is done through: Lectures Publications Workshops Maintaining Library Corners Talk Shows Maintaining website Disseminating information to schools, libraries , NGO’s, media, and political parties Other Functions ection 90 of the Belize Constitution was amended by S.I. No. 26 of 1988. The Section Sempowers the Elections and Boundaries Commission to make recommendations to the National Assembly on boundary redistricting. The Department’s role is to provide technical assistance to the Elections and Boundaries Commission and to adjust the electoral roll as per the ROPA after the redistricting becomes law. Mission and Objective he motto of the Department is: Accuracy * Efficiency * Compliance * Credibility. TThe Department is committed to the enhancement of democracy through the promotion of voter education and the maintenance of a legitimate, impartial,

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