Elections in St Vincent and Grenadines

The legal framework consists mainly of the Constitution Order 1979, the Representation of the People Act No. 7 of 1982, Cap. 9, and the House of Assembly Election Rules. There is no separate presidential election. The elected House has 15 Representatives from 15 constituencies: North Windward, North Central Windward, South Central Windward, South Windward, Marriaqua, East St. George, West St. George, East Kingstown, Central Kingstown, West Kingstown, South Leeward, Central Leeward, North Leeward, Northern Grenadines and Southern Grenadines. The House also includes six appointed Senators, the Speaker and the Attorney-General as ex officio members. A normal legislative term follows a five-year cycle, subject to the constitutional and electoral rules. The Electoral Office is the specialist body within the Ministry of National Security, Air and Sea Port Development. The Supervisor of Elections serves as chief electoral officer and is constitutionally free from direction or control. Registering Officers manage registration, Returning Officers manage constituencies, Presiding Officers run polling stations and Poll Clerks assist with the poll. The Constituency Boundaries Commission deals with constituency boundaries. Polling divisions generally contain about 400 registered voters. Registration is continuous and lists are also updated quarterly. A person generally qualifies at age 18 if they are a citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, or a Commonwealth citizen who has lived in the country for at least 12 months, and has lived in the constituency for at least six months. A voter may register in only one constituency. Removal from the register can follow death, a permitted objection, more than five years of absence except approved study abroad, or a legal disqualification. Registration takes place at the constituency registration centre. The Electoral Office in Kingstown handles emergencies. A Vincentian citizen by birth normally presents the original birth certificate and a copy. Citizenship by descent requires the birth certificate of the Vincentian parent; naturalisation requires a citizenship certificate; and Commonwealth citizens provide a passport or other travel document. Marriage, divorce or other name changes require an original supporting document. Registration results in entry on the voters list and issuance of a National Identity Card. An NIS card may be used as an optional supporting document where accepted. A transfer to another constituency generally requires at least six months of residence there, a change-of-residence form and confirmation by a reputable resident. A person changing their name or transferring registration normally surrenders the old identity card. Lost or stolen cards should be reported to the Registering Officer or the Kingstown office. A temporary card may be available, while a reprint generally follows six months later. Registration fees are not specified in the available electoral guidance. Quarterly schedules and office hours can change; published schedules for 2026 included normal service from 16:00 to 17:30 and special notices from 15:00 to 18:00. A candidate for the House of Assembly generally needs to be a Commonwealth citizen aged at least 21, with at least 12 months of residence or domicile in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines before nomination. The candidate must speak and write English sufficiently for House work. Disqualifications include foreign allegiance, being a minister of religion for a Representative seat, holding certain judicial, public or defence-force offices, undischarged bankruptcy, unsound mind, a lengthy prison sentence or certain government contracts. A nomination requires at least six registered electors from the same constituency, written consent, a statutory declaration or Form 3, and a cash deposit of EC$500. Electoral guidance states that the deposit can be forfeited when the candidate receives less than 15% of the votes. After the Governor-General issues the writs, a preliminary voters list is normally produced within three days. Corrections and additions can be made within 16 days, and the final register is normally completed within 21 days. In the 2025 general election, nomination took place on 10 November from 09:00 to 12:00, and polling took place on 27 November from 07:00 to 17:00. Polling normally occurs 15 to 21 clear days after nomination. War, an emergency, a natural disaster or missing election materials can lead to a postponement of up to 90 days. A general postal or overseas voting method was not identified in the reviewed official sources. Voters vote in person at their assigned polling station. They present their identity card, although the Presiding Officer may accept another form of identification. Officials check the voter's name, address and occupation against the register. The voter marks one choice on the ballot with a black pencil and one X behind a screen, folds the ballot twice, allows the counterfoil to be removed, has a finger marked with indelible ink and places the ballot in the box. Photographing or disclosing the ballot is prohibited. A police officer prevented from attending the assigned station for duty may use a special arrangement with a certificate from the Commissioner of Police submitted within seven days before the election. The law also provides assistance for blind or incapacitated voters. During polling, alcohol may not be sold or supplied. Employers must provide reasonable time to vote without deducting wages. Loudspeakers, bunting, vehicle propaganda, party badges, flags, ribbons and favours are prohibited during the poll. Meetings or attempts to influence voters within 100 yards of a polling place are also prohibited. Bribery, treating, undue influence, personation, ballot manipulation and breaches of secrecy are criminal offences. Examples of stated penalties include EC$750 and six months for bribery, treating or undue influence; EC$4,000 and two years for personation; EC$400 and six months for influence within 100 yards; and EC$1,500 and one year for certain propaganda or badge offences. Counting begins at the polling station after the poll closes. Officials check the ballot box and ballots under supervision, sort ballots into piles and envelopes, prepare a preliminary statement and seal the materials for transport. A ballot can be rejected for lacking the official mark, failing to identify a single candidate clearly, marking more than one candidate, containing an identifying mark, using a symbol other than X or using a pen. The candidate with the most valid votes is declared elected. Candidates and parties may appoint counting agents. An election petition may be filed in the High Court by a voter, a person entitled to vote or a candidate. The usual deadline is 21 days after the return; a specific allegation concerning a later corrupt payment can allow 28 days. Security for costs can be required up to EC$5,000. The High Court may confirm or change the return, declare the election void or order a new writ. A harmless procedural error that did not affect the result does not by itself invalidate the election. The 2025 general election had a final register of 103,524 voters and 64,536 votes cast. The official dashboard reported turnout of 62.2%; the raw figures produce approximately 62.3%. There were 297 rejected ballots. The National Democratic Party won 14 of the 15 elected seats and the Unity Labour Party won one. Current official House pages identify Godwin Friday as Prime Minister and Ralph Gonsalves as Leader of the Opposition. The official final-results material contains an aggregate inconsistency, so candidate totals should not be used to derive vote shares from that document; the seat outcome and turnout should be taken from the official results and House pages.