Elections and Boundaries Department Preparing Registry Updates Amid Village Boundary Changes

With several village boundaries now being redefined across the country, the Elections and Boundaries Department is preparing to update voters registries in all six districts to reflect the changes.  The exercise follows a series of consultations and mediation efforts led by the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development and Local Government aimed at resolving longstanding disputes between adjoining villages.  Director of Local Government, Clifford King, says the boundary review process involved a number of agencies, including the Elections and Boundaries Department, to ensure that any changes made would be properly reflected in governance and electoral records.

Clifford King, Director of Local Government: “When we completed the town boundaries delineation exercise last year that came into effect on the 1st of April 2025, that exercise that we did was done in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Elections and Boundaries Department, the respective village councils, and the town councils. So these are not these are not activities that are done in isolation. And then just for clarity, right now there’s the municipal boundaries are clear. Those maps are clear. Elections and Boundaries is currently working with those maps to make sure that that electoral registry reflects what the newly established town boundaries are. Elections and Boundaries are using the newly established boundaries for all towns to confirm, reconfirm the electoral registry for municipal elections. And they have already begun to do that from earlier this year and even from last year. But we collaborate very closely. We don’t, as the ministry responsible for towns, cities and villages, we don’t do these kinds of exercising isolation. And that is why, for example, for the independent commission, you see that there is representative they are from the Elections and Boundaries Department.” 

Director King explained that the exercise is considered important not only for local governance, but also for accurately determining electoral jurisdictions and administrative responsibilities within communities.