Elections & Boundaries Department

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Elections & Boundaries Department

Introduction

Belize has two Electoral Management Bodies (EMB), The Elections and Boundaries Commission and The Elections and Boundaries Department each being separate legal entity. The Elections and Boundaries Department was established in 1989. Subsequent to the constitutional amendments to Section 88 of the Belize Constitution, amendments were made to the Administrative Provision of the Representation of The People Act (Statutory Instrument 26 of 1988). All staffing matters were then transferred from the Elections and Boundaries Commission to the Public Services Commission. An amendment to the Belize Constitution by Act No. 2 of 2001, dated February 23, 2001, transferred jurisdiction of the post of Chief Elections Officer to the Public Services Commission.

The Chief Elections Officer and staff are responsible for the day-to-day administration and all phases of the electoral process. The Chief Elections Officer reports to the Ministry of the Public Service Constitutional and Political Reforms and religious Affairs as well as the Elections and Boundaries Commission on a timely basis.

The Elections and Boundaries Department is national in scope with one Central Office and fourteen Branch Offices and one Sub-Office. Each Branch Office is staffed with Registering and Assistant Registering Officers. The Central Office, which is now located in Belmopan serves as the administration centre and the storage for all election records.