THE EDITOR, Sir:
PLEASE ALLOW me to correct some misconceptions that were evident in the article 'Bleak Prospects' written in The Sunday Gleaner, January 15, 2006.
First of all the EVBIS acronym referred to is actually EVIBIS and it stands for Electronic Voter Identification and Ballot Issuing System. EVIBIS does not utilise global positioning system (GPS). It does, as the article says, identify electors by fingerprints and upon that identification issues a ballot.
It is misleading to refer to this system as electronic voting; it is the electronic identification of electors. After receiving a ballot electors mark an 'X' with a pencil as before.
Secondly, we are not contemplating any further testing of this system prior to use in a general election. All remains now is for implementation in the constituencies or part thereof as decided by the Electoral Advisory Committee.
Thirdly, Mr. Golding was not criticising the voters list of November 30, 2005 but listing some concerns regarding the residence re-verification exercise. The voters list of November 30, 2005 has 1,428,972 electors on it.
I am, etc.,
DANVILLE WALKER
Director of Elections
