We decided to share this article with readers of BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean. The Nassau Guardian published this article by Rachel Scott on Wedensday, August 7, 2025.
By: Rachel Scott
Guardian Staff Reporter
rachel@nasguard.com
As he opened debate on legislation to create a framework for the introduction of biometric voters cards, Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis yesterday accused the opposition of “manufacturing panic” and politicizing the issue.
Davis noted that the last Free National Movement (FNM) government introduced and passed legislation to allow for the introduction of the cards that they are now opposing.
“The opposition’s attempt to manufacture panic over a reform they themselves legislated is not just disingenuous, it is disgraceful,” he said in the House of Assembly.
“When they passed the original amendment in 2020, they said nothing of disenfranchisement. They held no consultations. They dismissed our concerns without a second thought, and now, with the same framework in place, they claim to be the defenders of the vote.
“Madam Speaker, there is a difference between standing up for voters and standing in the way of progress.
“This government will not allow the line between those two to be blurred. We are here to protect the process, not politicize it.”
In addition to establishing a process to transition to biometric voter registration and cards, the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2025, if passed, would also introduce e-poll books at polling stations, periodic photo verification exercises and enhanced data security protocols.
FNM Deputy Leader Shanendon Cartwright has said that the FNM does not feel that the government has “allowed enough public consultation on the matter, which will significantly change the way we vote”.
However, the 2020 amendment to the Parliamentary Elections Act, which established a permanent voters register and provided for a transition to biometric voters cards was passed under the Minnis administration, during which now-FNM Leader Michael Pintard was a Cabinet minister and Cartwright was a sitting MP.
Davis noted that the FNM has been hypocritical not only as it relates to the new voters cards, but also with respect to criticism regarding the processes required to maintain a permanent register.
He noted that Pintard recently questioned the removal of approximately 15,000 names from the register by the parliamentary commissioner.
“The removal of deceased, disqualified, or ineligible persons is not a discretionary action; it is required by law,” Davis said.
“Sections 13A, 13B, and 22 of the existing act give the commissioner express power to investigate, verify, and remove names where warranted.
“These are legal duties. They are not optional, and they are not subject to political interference. The commissioner’s independence is guaranteed by our constitution and must be respected in both principle and practice.
“Removing names of the deceased, or those no longer eligible to vote, is part of maintaining a credible electoral register.
“That should not be controversial.
“We cannot ask for clean elections and then object when the law is followed to ensure precisely that outcome.”
Davis said that if the opposition or anyone else believes that an individual was wrongly removed, they can submit concerns to the parliamentary commissioner for review.
“They may file an objection and have that matter reviewed by the relevant authorities,” he said.
“This process is not only available but well-established in law. The parliamentary commissioner is duty-bound to investigate and respond accordingly. No Bahamian is left without recourse.”
Davis said the amendments being debated would “strengthen the legal architecture of our election” and provide “clear rules, modern tools, and accountable oversight for all aspects of voter registration and verification”.
“What is before this honorable House today is not the beginning of an idea; it is the conclusion of a process that was started five years ago,” he said.
“The former administration made the decision to move to a permanent register. They passed the law to allow for biometric voter identification. But after passing the law, they did not implement it. They left behind a legal framework with no infrastructure, no public education, no safeguards, and no real plan for execution.
“It has fallen to this government to finish the job. We are not here to relitigate what was done in 2020. We are here to bring order to the process, to complete what was started and to do so with discipline, transparency, and fairness.
“Madam Speaker, these amendments are not about changing direction.
“They are about delivering on what was promised to the Bahamian people — a voter registration system that is secure, modern, and worthy of the democracy we have built together over the last 60-plus years.”