National

Voter Registration Reaching Record Breaking Numbers

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The announcement of the voter registration deadline triggered crowded registration stations and extended hours for staff members of the Parliamentary Registration Department.

Published

6 days ago

April 8, 2026

Denielle Miller

NASSAU , BAHAMAS – The announcement of the voter registration deadline triggered crowded registration stations and extended hours for staff members of the Parliamentary Registration Department.

Our reporter, Denielle Miller, visited the PRD headquarters to get an update from the commissioner of the department on official numbers and to interview voters about their decision to wait until the last day to register.

After Wednesday , residents were no longer able to register to vote in the May 12th general election.

This indication came as Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles, acting as Provost Marshal, announced the dissolution of Parliament on the steps of the House of Assembly on Wednesday morning.

Following the announcement, she went to the Parliamentary Registration Department, where officials reported that as of 11:40 on Wednesday morning, a total of 202,181 (two hundred and two thousand, one hundred eighty-one) voters were registered—a 3,114 (three thousand, one hundred and fourteen) increase from the figures reported two weeks prior.

Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson told her that registration stations would remain open until 10 p.m. Wednesday night, and his team was prepared to work until dawn.

He shared that this was a routine they had become accustomed to.

Harrison Thompson – Parliamentary Commissioner

“This morning some of my staff members left after five o’clock. So it has been normally for the past week or two it’s been round two three o’clock for most staff members”

Why wait until the last minute to register?

Angela Stubbs explained that the thought was overshadowed by her work schedule.

Angela Stubbs – Voter

“Unfortunately work overwhelms me and I actually saw a flyer saying that today was the last day to register”

As for Grodfrey Rahming and Trinee Thompson, they were undecided if they would vote.

Grodfrey Rahming – Voter

“I was in between a rock and hard place, but I say I got to do it now”

Trinee Thompson – Voter

“Still haven’t decided if I’m going to vote but it’s a form of document that I can have”

While he could not predict whether all registered voters would actually turn out to the polls, Thompson affirmed that voter registration for the upcoming general election had reached record-breaking levels.

Harrison Thompson – Parliamentary Commissioner

“This has been the largest registration that we’ve ever had in the country. The first time we’ve ever gone over two hundred thousand voters. The turn out we wouldn’t know that until election time but in terms of registration this has been the largest block that we’ve ever had”