THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) today commenced conducting the mandatory Claims and Objections exercise regarding entries on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) for the upcoming general and regional elections. This exercise will conclude on June 12, 2011. September 30, 2011 is the qualifying date for determining persons who would be 18 years or older, and who could become registered during this Claims and Objections exercise. Such persons must be Guyanese citizens by birth, descent, naturalization or are citizens from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more. 

GECOM has posted divisional/sub-divisional extracts of the PLE at two prominent locations within all of the divisions/sub-divisions. A person who would be eligible to vote at the general and regional elections – 2011, is required to check the respective divisional/sub-divisional lists which are being publicly displayed in their respective registration divisions/sub-divisions and:
1. process for registration which will result in the issuance of a national identification card thereafter.

2. Apply for a transfer, if he/she has moved to a different residential address since he/she was registered.

3. Apply for a correction(s) if there is/are error(s) on his/her registration record/ID card.

4. Apply for a change of name, if there was a name change(s) e.g. through marriage or deed poll, after the 2008 house-to-house registration exercise.

5. Object to the inclusion of the name of any person who is suspected not to have met the eligibility requirements for such inclusion, providing that the objector is registered in the same division/sub- division as the person he/she is objecting to.

Any person who is desirous of conducting any of the above transactions is required to visit the GECOM Temporary Claims and Objections Office that is responsible for his/her area of residence. 

It is important to note that (i) application for entry on to the PLE, name changes, corrections and transfers will not be entertained after Thursday, June 9, 2011, and (ii) objections to entries on the PLE will not be entertained after Sunday, June 12, 2011. 

Source Documents:
You must be in possession of the following source documents as may be necessary:-
1. Original birth certificate or a valid Guyana passport for persons who are not now registered.
2. Original marriage certificate (and original birth certificate) – in the case of a name change by marriage. Married women in possession of valid Guyana passports with their husbands’ surnames do not need to provide marriage certificates.
3. Original deed poll and original birth certificate – in the case of a name change by deed Poll.

4. Original naturalization certificate issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and original birth certificate/valid passport – in the case of naturalization.

5. Original birth certificate/valid passport and the birth certificate of one parent for citizens by descent.

Baptismal certificates, expired passports, photocopies of relevant documents or letters from priests, elders, head masters, village captains/toshaos and Justices of the Peace, nor existing ID cards will not be acceptable as source documents for registration.

GECOM is appealing to all persons who are eligible for registration during this Claims and Objections exercise, but are not in possession of the relevant supporting document(s) to take immediate steps to acquire it/them in order to apply for registration during this exercise.

Your failure to do so will mean that you will (i) not be included in the national register of registrants, (ii) not be included on the voters list for the general and regional elections – 2011, and (iii) not be issued a national identification card.

The GECOM Temporary Claims and Objections offices are opened on Mondays to Fridays from 3:30 pm to 7 pm, and from 10 am to 2 pm, on Saturdays and Sundays.  The offices will not operate on national holidays.