Opposition tables absentee voting legislation
Absentee voting could be in force by the next election after the One Bermuda Alliance brought legislation for it to the House of Assembly.
Opposition MP Dwayne Robinson said he hoped the Absentee Voting Act 2025 would “start the clock” on the option.
He called it “a long-known issue” that had kept people from exercising their democratic rights.
He added: “February’s election was a notable example, scheduled when most students studying overseas were at school.
“By selecting that date, the PLP government denied numerous young Bermudians a voice in their country’s future.
“The irony is, these are exactly the Bermudians who we want to be more engaged.”
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation later responded that the Government was already “fully committed” to moving ahead with comprehensive electoral reform — including absentee voting.
MPs heard today that the Act would affect Bermudian voters temporarily overseas during an election, such as those on work secondments or receiving medical treatment.
Mr Robinson said it allowed the Parliamentary Registrar to choose which technology to use for absentee voting.
He added: “The Government will claim it is working on it. But this Bill from the OBA replaces empty promises with concrete action and laws guaranteeing the right for absentee voting.”
He said the OBA was living up to “one of its key election promises”.
“We look forward to the Government supporting this Bill and living up to one of its own election promises.”
The Ministry of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation responded that electoral reform had to be shaped by public consultation.
A spokeswoman said: “Electoral reform is a cornerstone of our democracy’s evolution, and it will not be approached lightly or behind closed doors.”
She called the Opposition’s tabling of the Act without consultation “disappointing” and said it risked “imposing changes on Bermudians rather than working with them”.
The spokeswoman added that as the body responsible for electoral reform, the ministry intended to implement absentee voting by the next General Election.
Absentee ballots have been in discussion for decades.
Derrick Burgess, of the Progressive Labour Party, raised concerns as Speaker of the House in 1998 over young adults having to travel home for one or two days just to vote.
The issue resurfaced before the 2012 General Election, when student activists organised a petition for absentee voting ahead of the December 17 polls.
Jonathan Starling, a political commentator who ran as an independent candidate, backed the call as part of wider voting reforms.
The OBA government set up a committee in 2013 to explore its possibility, but by 2016, Michael Fahy, who was Minister of Home Affairs, toldThe Royal Gazette it was still under review.
Many in the public, particularly students, widely criticised the Government timing the latest election in mid-February.
Youth activists said it worsened political alienation. Many political candidates discussed voting reform, with the OBA pledging to bring in absentee voting within a year if elected to the Government.
The PLP acknowledged public frustration and added of absentee voting to its platform.
Diallo Rabain, the Minister of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, said in May that the Parliamentary Registry would begin research.
While funding was not earmarked in the Budget, Mr Rabain said he expected a legislative framework to be in place by September 2026.
• To read the Act in full, see Related Media
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