Solutions Barbados was not planning to run any candidates in the 2026 General Election, because we assumed the electorate were not yet ready to elect anyone other than BLP or DLP candidates. One Solutions Barbados candidate, Mr Robert Toussaint, bravely stepped forward to test that assumption – and found it valid. However, the exercise was not in vain, because it gave us a ring-side seat to a now corrupted election process.
OMISSION.
Managing Solutions Barbados’ 2018, 2020 and 2022 elections give me a context to confirm that the 2026 General Election was – different. One glaring omission was the meeting of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) Board, Director and Deputy Director with representatives of all political parties and independent candidates participating in the election.
That meeting is critical for inexperienced third parties, because it explains the EBC-managed electoral process and candidate requirements so that all parties are without excuse on what needs to be done. I repeatedly asked the EBC about that meeting. They repeatedly stated they never heard of such a meeting.
CONFUSION.
There seemed to be little institutional memory among critical EBC staff who interacted with political parties. At least two candidates failed to secure their nominations through a lack of knowledge of what was required. There was so much conflicting, inaccurate and partially accurate information shared and the EBC seemed unable to decisively adjudicate what was true.
Candidates were entitled to critical information they were unaware of – and some never received it. In a short election campaign, decisiveness and responsiveness are critical. This mess served only to benefit the established parties.
UNFAIR ELECTION PROCESS.
Calling a snap election is an option of the Prime Minister. However, there is a difference between a snap election and a fair election. A fair election provides all parties sufficient time to get volunteers to deliver campaign information to voters. The two-week period (from Nomination Day to Election Day) is adequate if persons worked full-time.
Third parties do not have multitudes of supporters and may rely on family and friends. To work full-time on a two-week campaign means that volunteers needed to give their employers one to three months’ notice to apply for a 2-week vacation. A snap election without this notice only benefits the established parties. A fair Barbadian election process may be to either: (i) have a fixed election date or (ii) call an election with election day being at least 4 months later.
VOTER SUPPRESSION.
Robert was properly nominated by persons the EBC verified were registered to vote in the Christ Church South constituency. On the day of the election, I took one of them to vote for Robert, but by then, the EBC had removed him from voting in Christ Church South and gave him the options of: (i) voting for non-Solutions Barbados candidates in the Christ Church East Central constituency or (ii) not voting at all. He was leaning towards the latter – which evidences voter suppression.
I understand that this sophisticated home-grown gerrymandering, where supporters of one party in a constituency are forced to vote in another constituency for unknown candidates, reportedly happened across Barbados. How common this was needs to be measured.
NOT INVITED.
Only one third of the verified voters in my household received their Election Circular from the EBC. This important letter informs the recipient: (i) that they are registered to vote, (ii) of the constituency in which they are registered to vote, (iii) of the location of the polling station where they are to vote and (iv) of the date of the election. This non-invitation-to-vote type of voter-suppression was reportedly evidenced across Barbados, including in two-thirds of my household.
I do not have space in this article to fully explain what a disaster of an election process this was, but the cumulative effect of these and other voter suppression methods resulted in a 31% voter participation rate – according to the EBC’s data. I now have no confidence in the EBC to manage our elections. I lay no blame whatsoever on the staff of the EBC. If you want to make bread, you give the baker specific ingredients. The EBC used the cement, sand, stones and water provided to them – and made concrete.
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