Biometrics at polling stations will not be feasible for the upcoming general and regional elections according to the Guyana Elections Commission. The commission also said that Guyana lacked the necessary legal framework to introduce biometrics.
The commission issued the statement on Tuesday following criticism it had received over the decision not to implement biometrics.
The statement said Chairman of the commission Retired Justice Claudette Singh on January 16th decided against the introduction of biometrics since it was not feasible at this time.
According to the statement, Retired Justice Singh’s decision took into consideration cost implications, inadequate voter education, allegations of manipulation, resistance by political parties and public trust as challenges.
The statement went on that notwithstanding the benefits and challenges of biometric technology, it should be emphasized that within the context of Guyana, there is no legal provision and as such any introduction at the place of poll would be unconstitutional since it will impose additional conditions on a person’s right to vote.
The Commission said Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud has acknowledged the benefits of biometric fingerprint identification which included a high level of security, prevention of electoral fraud and faster and more efficient way of voting. However, there are several concerns among legislation to address collecting and storing biometric data, ethical dilemmas along with data and security concerns such privacy and security risks and misuse of information.
According to the statement, Justice said notwithstanding the challenges of biometrics, the commission is committed to conducting free, fair, transparent, and credible elections.