National

“You Have Nothing To Fear, Your Information Is Secured”

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Acting Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson has been in the seat for just over four months, but he knows he has a monumental task on his hands – preparing the country for the next general election.

Published

7 months ago

August 1, 2025

Sasha Lightbourne

The upcoming 2026 General Election will be different with the introduction of a new biometric voters’ card.

Harrison Thompson – Acting Parliamentary Commissioner

“We have to be part of the modern society…around the world the process is being modernized and The Bahamas don’t want to be left out.”

“You have nothing to fear with the process; the process is secure; your information will be secured and we at the Parliamentary Registration Department will ensure that all of the information that you share with us is really secured,” Thompson said.

The new cards, which will be valid for 10 years, won’t be ready until January 2026.

However, it’s the features of that card which Thompson says are unique:

“The features of the card will be the features that you have on the voters card now except that you will have a QR code on the back of the card that will have your biometric information like your fingerprints and all your other personal information…,” Thompson said.

So who should register?

“We have a continuous register now so if you’re on the register now you’re safe to vote in the next election…yes you can keep…[the old card]….but if you get the new card it will be more convenient for you,” he said.

Persons who have turned 18 since the last election and those who have changed constituencies should also register.

Thompson added that the information on the new cards is 99 percent secured. However if tampered with, Thompson says there will be consequences.

“…There will be provisions in the law to deal with that; you’ll be given a fine or to be imprisoned or both,” he said.

Furthermore, there’s a question that’s popped up over and over; with these digital advances, what happens if there is a power outage?

“We will have that old printed register but the e-poll system has a lifespan of about two days so they will continue to mark that and once the wifi comes back on it’ll just migrate the information,” Thompson said.