More than 100 people who no longer live in Pembroke East Central could still be able to vote in today's by-election, the United Bermuda Party claims.

The Opposition says its canvassing and mailing has shown many voters remain registered in homes where they used to reside, meaning they could turn up at Victor Scott Primary School to cast their vote today.

The issue is not expected to have any influence on the outcome in Constituency 16, where Michael Weeks of the Progressive Labour Party takes on the UBP's Keith Young in probably the PLP's safest seat in the Country.

However, UBP Leader Kim Swan says it reflects an Island-wide phenomenon which would be more significant in key marginal constituencies.

Parliamentary Registrar Randy Scott responded yesterday that a review of the Parliamentary Election Act has been completed in an effort to stamp out such discrepancies.

Mr. Scott said scrutineers from both political parties are supposed to bring such matters to his attention, but that they only seem to speak up when an election is called.

In recent days, The Royal Gazette has followed both parties canvassing in Pembroke East Central. One woman answering the door at a home in Footpath Lane, at which ten people are registered for Constituency 16, said in fact only four people live there. She said she did not know where the other six now live.

Mr. Swan said in a statement yesterday: "The United Bermuda Party has serious concerns about inaccurate voter registrations, not just in Pembroke East Central but across the Island.

"The discrepancies we found on Footpath Lane were not isolated exceptions. Our canvassing and mailings in Pembroke East Central over the past weeks has indicated well over 100 people registered to vote in the constituency who no longer live there.

"We have discussed the situation and decided we will not challenge people on polling day because we do not want to penalise them for what is clearly a voter registration system that is not working as it should.

"We have communicated our concerns to the Parliamentary Registrar and our willingness to work with him on a solution to the problem."

Mr. Scott said: "The act requires that scrutineers from both political parties be assigned annually by the Governor.

"These scrutineers are supposed to bring to my attention any and all discrepancies on the register. I have been hard pressed to get any assistance from scrutineers for the past couple of years.

"They only seem to do work when an election is called. If they were doing the necessary due diligence in the constituencies, then we would not have these issues. At least be we would be able to scrutinise it more closely. There is a role for them to play."

A row over the electoral register erupted before the 2007 General Election, with the UBP claiming many people were able to vote in areas they no longer live. The PLP responded that the UBP was trying to disenfranchise voters.

Then-UBP leader Michael Dunkley argued that the number of voters in Smith's North went "through the roof", with people who didn't live in the constituency helping ensure he lost to Patrice Minors of the PLP.

There are 1,107 registered voters in Pembroke East Central, where the polls open at 8 a.m. today and close at 8 p.m. The count is expected to take until 10 p.m.

The by-election was called after the death of Health Minister Nelson Bascome from a heart attack last month. Mr. Bascome beat Mr. Young with 87 percent of the votes in 2007.