The Electoral Process

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 EBC RESEARCH PROJECT: www.ebctt.com
1. The names of the eight Heroes of the Electoral System.
(About us/Heroes of the electoral system)

2. Which four pieces of legislation provide the E&BC with its legal and constitutional
authority to conduct elections. (About Us/Background)

3. In what year was the first elections conducted by the Elections Commission? (Background)

4. In what year was the franchise (right to vote) extended to 18 year olds? (Background)

5. In what year was the number of constituencies increased from 36 to 41? (Background)

6. How many parliamentary electoral districts are in Trinidad. (Electoral Districts)

7. How many parliamentary electoral districts are in Tobago? (Electoral Districts)

8. There are …#.. cities, …#.. boroughs and …#.. regional municipalities in Trinidad and
Tobago. (Electoral Districts)
 EBC RESEARCH PROJECT
9. List 3 things that can disqualify a person from being elected to the House of
Representatives. (Our Operations)

10. Polling commences at _____________a.m. and the polls close at

____________p.m.

11. What is the most sought-after product of the Elections and Boundaries
Commission? (Services)

12. What documents are required when a citizen by birth is registering for a national ID
card. (Services)

13. How are symbols assigned to political parties? (Services)

14. Who is eligible to vote in Trinidad and Tobago? (FAQ’s)

• BALLOT: a procedure by which people vote
secretly on an issue
• BALLOT BOX: a sealed box into which voters
put completed ballot papers
X
X
X
 CONSTITUENCY
• The group of voters who elect a
representative to the legislature and are
represented by him or her
 COALITION
• Two or more political parties working
together
 ELECTOR
• A person who has the right to vote in an
election
 ELECTORATE
• All persons qualified to vote in an
election
 MANIFESTO
• A document setting out the policies
of a political party
• www.unc.org.tt
• www.coptnt.com
• www.pnm.org.tt
Main functions of the government
1. Making laws
– Defining accepted ways of acting and behaving
– Forcing obedience on the population
– Setting up courts to resolve conflicts
(Laws are made in parliament)
2. Enforcing Laws
– (courts and magistrates)
3. Encourage Economic activities
– Encourage businesses, create employment
4. Provide Social Facilities
– Health and educational institutions
– Roads, electriciry, water, telephone, recreational facilities,
garbage collection and disposal
5. National Security (police, army and coastguard)
 ARMS/BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
• EXECUTIVE:
– consists of the Cabinet – the Prime Minister and other
Ministers
– Makes policies for the various ministries
• LEGISLATURE:
– The House of Representatives and the Senate
– Makes laws for the country
• JUDICIARY
– Law courts, magistrates and judges
– Ensures laws are fairly applied
 OTHER FUNCTIONS OF THE
LEGISLATURE
• Debates the national budget
• Discusses national issues such as crime,
flooding, unemployment, health services etc
• Investigates situations of improper conduct
by any member of Parliament
• Debates any charge of no confidence in the
ruling party which was raised by the
Opposition
 The Speaker of the House of
Representatives
• Can be any elected member of the House of
Representatives who is neither a Minister nor
a Parliamentary Secretary
• Any other person who is not a Minister or
parliamentary secretary
• He is elected at the first meeting of the House
following a General Election.
 The Registration Process
• Registration as an elector is an indispensable
requirement for voting in Parliamentary,
Local Government and Tobago House of
Assembly elections.
• Such registration is voluntary and there are no
sanctions for failure to register. However if you
are not registered you will not be able to
exercise your franchise. You will therefore not
be a partner in democracy.
 Structure of the EBC
• The structure of the E&BC is based principally
on a Central Electoral Office located at
headquarters in Port of Spain, fifteen (15)
Registration Area Offices and six (6) sub
Offices. These offices are conveniently located
throughout the country where persons can
register to obtain their National Identification
Cards and have their names included on the
list of eligible electors subject to certain
qualifying criteria.
• The system is personal in
that a prospective
registrant must apply in
person to the Registration
Officer at one of the
Commission’s Registration
Area Office. No person can
apply for registration on
behalf of another person.
The system also provides for the issue of a National
Identification (ID) Card to a registrant as part of
the process of registration. Identification Cards
are issued in three (3) colours:

• Blue lettering and background - Citizens of

Trinidad and Tobago
• Red lettering and background - Citizens of
Commonwealth countries
• Orange lettering and background - Citizens of
non-commonwealth countries
• Persons of age eighteen or more at the
time of registration have their names
included in the Commission’s register of
electors.
• Persons of age fifteen but less than
eighteen (15, 16, 17) are entitled to be
registered but their names are excluded
from the list of electors. However they
are entitled to receive ID cards.
THE ELECTION PROCESS
1. Election announced
2. Nomination Day: 14 days after
announcement of election date
3. Election date: 21 days after Nomination
Day (usually a Monday, but this is custom
rather than law)
4. Revised List of Electors posted no later
than 14 days prior to (before) the date of
elections
5. Notice placed by EBC in at least 1 daily
newspaper:
– Date of election and hours of polling
– Numbers and addresses of polling
stations
– Information on candidates (name,
address, occupation, symbol)
6. Poll cards mailed out
7. Election takes place, ballots counted,
winner declared
 Parliamentary Electoral Districts

• For the purposes of Parliamentary

elections, the country is divided into:
– 41 electoral districts or
constituencies
•39 in Trinidad and 2 in Tobago
Role of the Citizenry after Elections
• Respect the decision of the electorate
• Cooperate with new government
• Ensure they keep their promises
 The forty-one (41) Parliamentary
Electoral Districts are:
1. Arima 21. Mayaro
2. Arouca/Maloney 22. Moruga/Tableland
3. Barataria/San Juan 23. Naparima
4. Caroni Central 24. Oropouche East
5. Caroni East 25. Oropouche West
6. Chaguanas East 26. Point Fortin
7. Chaguanas West 27. Pointe-A-Pierre
8. Couva North 28. Port-Of-Spain North/St. Ann’s West
9. Couva South 29. Port-Of-Spain South
10. Cumuto/Manzan1lla 30. Princes Town
11. D’abadie/O’meara 31. San Fernando East
12. Diego Martin Central 32. San Fernando West
13. Diego Martin North/East 33. Siparia
14. Diego Martin West 34. St. Ann’s East
15. Fyzabad 35. St. Augustine
16. La Brea 36. St. Joseph
17. La Horquetta/Talparo 37. Tabaquite
18. Laventille East/Morvant 38. Toco/Sangre Grande
19. Laventille West 39. Tunapuna
20. Lopinot/Bon Air West 40. Tobago East
41. Tobago West
 The 8 heroes of the Electoral System
1. Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler
2. George Weekes
3. Elbert Blades
4. Lord David Pitts
5. Dr. Eric Eustace Williams
6. CLR James
7. Adrian Cola Rienzi
8. Captain Arthur A. Cipriani
Four pieces of legislation provide the E&BC with
its legal and constitutional authority to conduct
elections.
1. the Representation of the People Act Chap. 2:01
of the laws of Trinidad and Tobago,
2. the Elections and Boundaries Commission
(Local Government) Act, Chap. 25:50;
3. the Municipal Corporations Act, 1990;
4. the Elections and Boundaries Commission
(Local Government and Tobago House of
Assembly Act No. 40 of 1996.