Series of sessions on electoral reform continues, MPs hear
At least another five town hall meetings will be held in January to gather feedback from residents about electoral reform, the Minister of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation said.
Diallo Rabain told the House of Assembly that a further two sessions will include virtual options for Bermudian students who are overseas.
The minister reminded MPs that during the Budget debates in May, he said that the Government planned to “move forward with electoral reform in a deliberate, phased way, beginning with research and engagement”.
He said the process would culminate in the introduction of legislation only after a full policy framework was developed and shared with the public.
Mr Rabain added: “At that time, I also clarified that while no dedicated funding line was included in the Budget for absentee voting, work would proceed using existing resources to lay the policy foundation.”
He said that meetings started with the Parliamentary Registrar in June.
In August, the minister told the House, research was carried out on voting systems around the world that employ absentee voting.
Two virtual sessions were held with Bermudian students overseas and island youth groups in October and November.
Mr Rabain said: “These young voters shared frank and constructive feedback about the barriers they face when trying to vote from abroad.
“The conversations covered concerns such as eligibility, verification, timing and trust.
“Their contributions have been instrumental in shaping how we have to think about absentee voting into the broader reform process.”
A town hall meeting was held at Harrington Workmen’s Club in Smith’s last month.
Mr Rabain said that four pillars guiding the work were presented: voter access and registration; election day processes; campaign and election finance rules; and governance and oversight through the Parliamentary Registrar’s Office.
He added: “People asked about voter-roll accuracy, election day consistency, political finance, digital campaigning and the need for strong, independent oversight.
“What we heard from the public aligns with what we have said from the beginning — this work must be approached as a complete package, not a set of isolated changes.”
Mr Rabain said on Friday: “We will continue this engagement with at least five more town halls planned across the island in January, and two more hybrid-virtual sessions with overseas Bermudian Students, structured dialogue with political parties and civil society, and the formation of a working group to guide the development of the electoral reform policy framework.
“We aim to finalise and publish the policy framework in early 2026.
“The drafting of legislation will follow only after that work is complete.”
Additionally, the Government advertised a youth electoral reform town hall meeting scheduled for December 22 in the Kalmar Richards Room at CedarBridge Academy from 6pm to 8pm.
While an Opposition Bill titled the Absentee Voting Act 2025 was listed for a second reading on the Order of Business for the House session on Friday, it was not called for debate.
• To see the minister’s statement, see Related Media
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