What You Need to Know About the Advanced Poll

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – The advance poll, set for April 30th, will give select groups of voters the chance to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.

Officials said this process is critical, ensuring that those who may not be able to vote on the day still have their say.

Those eligible include persons traveling, ill, disabled, or pregnant and expected to be in hospital; nominated candidates and their spouses; essential workers; and uniformed officers.

For voters abroad, the deadline to register is April 17th.

Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson told us who qualifies and what the process looks like.

Harrison Thompson – Parliamentary Commissioner

“If you’re a student or you work for the Bahamas government at the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the Bahamas Maritime Authority, you can vote in our overseas polling on the same day, on the 30th. You’ll vote at the various embassies or consulate general offices, and we have about 13 locations overseas.”

New Providence will have 12 sites, and five will be in Grand Bahama, with 209 persons registered so far on that island for advance voting.

Thompson also spoke to the integrity of the election, sharing that this is the first election in a while where they are able to clean up the register.

Harrison Thompson – Parliamentary Commissioner

“The department has been working overtime to ensure that we have a clean election. We have been cleaning the register—removing deceased persons, removing those who transferred out and cannot be found. We are trying to do our utmost best to ensure that we have the cleanest register ever.”

Recently, Opposition Leader Michael Pintard called for the resignation of Thompson following the arrest of a PRD worker found in possession of fraudulent voters’ cards—here is his response to that.

Harrison Thompson – Parliamentary Commissioner

“I have no response to that. The politicians can do what they want to do. I do not intend to respond to it.”

While this process provides convenience, voters must still follow all guidelines, including proper identification and confirmation of eligibility.

Chinasa Outten – choutten@gmail.com

“And with advance polls quickly approaching, officials are urging eligible voters to make sure they are properly registered and prepared. The deadline to register is this Friday, April 24th.