Elections in Barbados

The Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is the constitutionally autonomous body responsible for elections and constituency boundaries. The Chief Electoral Officer also serves as Supervisor of Elections, supported by registering officers, enumerators, returning officers, presiding officers and polling staff. A House of Assembly legislature can last for up to five years from its first sitting, and the President can dissolve Parliament under the Constitution. After dissolution, the writ for a general election must be issued within 90 days. A Barbados citizen aged 18 or older can vote after living in the relevant constituency for at least three months. A Commonwealth citizen who is not a Barbados citizen generally needs at least three years of residence in Barbados and at least three months in the constituency. Registration is required, and a person cannot vote without appearing on the election register. Disqualifications include certain mental incapacity, imprisonment and specified criminal sentences. Barbados does not impose a general duty to vote. Registration remains open on an ongoing basis. Each constituency receives an annual register by 31 January, followed by revised registers and election registers. A voter can use Form 1 for registration, Form 10 after moving, Form 11 after changing a name and Form 12 to object to an entry. Claims and objections go first to the registering officer; the EBC gives the final decision on a rejected claim. The EBC reported 271,205 eligible voters on its 2026 final list and automatically included people who turned 18 during that process. Register accuracy remains a public issue. Voters normally present a Trident ID card at the polling station. The first card is free, a replacement costs 60 dollars and an optional same-day replacement costs 100 dollars. The registration office is at Warrens Tower II in St. Michael and is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 16:00; a card can take about 12 weeks. A voter who lacks or has lost the card can still be considered after credible identification is established with the presiding officer. National registration for a non-Barbadian resident does not itself create voting rights; Commonwealth status, residence in Barbados and constituency residence remain relevant. A House candidate must be a Barbados citizen aged at least 21 and have the legally required connection to residence in Barbados. Judges, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Auditor-General, some public officers, members of the police or armed forces in specified positions, bankrupt persons and people affected by certain convictions or election offences can be disqualified. A nomination requires two electors as proposer and seconder, two further assenting electors, written consent witnessed by another person and a 250-dollar deposit paid to the Accountant-General. Nomination papers are submitted from 10:00 to 15:00 on nomination day, with objections until 16:00. If the number of candidates does not exceed the available seats, the candidates are declared elected without a contested poll. Polling normally runs from 6:00 to 18:00, and people already waiting at 18:00 may vote. The assigned polling station is identified through the official notice or circular. Election staff check the voter’s identity and register entry, issue one ballot paper and require the voter to mark it secretly, fold it and show the official mark on the back before placing it in a sealed ballot box. A spoilt ballot can be replaced by the presiding officer. The presiding officer can mark a ballot according to the instructions of a voter who is blind, physically impaired or unable to read; a companion must be at least 18 and may assist only one additional voter. Employers must allow a reasonable period for employees to vote. Media devices, smartphones and smartwatches are not allowed inside polling stations. Special voting arrangements apply to eligible election personnel and security staff, with a 2026 Special Voting Day held on 4 February. Foreign service electors, including mission heads, staff and members of their households, vote under separate rules. Barbados does not provide general voting from abroad. After polls close, officials seal and transport the ballot boxes to constituency counting centres. Candidates, election agents and authorised election staff can observe the count. Officials record the number of ballot papers before counting votes, while counting agents can monitor sorting. Officials reject a ballot without the official mark, marked for more than one candidate, identifiable through extra marks, unmarked or too unclear to determine the voter’s choice. A candidate or election agent can request a recount, although the returning officer may reject an unreasonable request. A tied result after a recount leads to a new writ and a new election for that constituency. The returning officer declares the constituency result and returns the writ to the President. An election petition is the legal way to challenge an election or return. A voter, eligible person or candidate generally has 21 days after the writ is returned to file one; certain claims involving corrupt or illegal practices have a 28-day period. The Election Court decides whether the result remains valid or becomes void. Election offences include secrecy breaches, bribery, treating, undue influence, personation, unlawful voting, false candidate information and prohibited interference near polling places. Penalties can include fines, imprisonment and disqualification from voting or holding a seat. Candidates and election agents must submit election-expense returns with bills and receipts to the Supervisor of Elections, and payments above 10 dollars require evidence. The Prime Minister is not elected directly. After a general election, the President appoints the House member who appears to command the confidence of the majority. The President then appoints 21 Senators, while the Leader of the Opposition is the House member with the greatest opposition support. The President also does not receive a direct popular mandate: a vacancy or end of term is normally handled by joint nomination from the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, or by a secret-ballot election in both Houses requiring at least two-thirds of votes cast in each House. In the 2026 general election, writs were issued on 19 January, nominations took place on 27 January and polling took place on 11 February; the official 2026 House listing shows 30 members, with the Barbados Labour Party holding all 30 seats. A Commonwealth Expert Team described the process as credible, transparent and peaceful while recommending cleaner registers, earlier final lists before special voting, better accessibility and greater transparency at counting centres.