Only 12.6% of target registered for the much awaited December 13 national poll

Durrant Pate/Contributor

With Haitians set to go to the polls on December 13 this year, the first general election in more than a decade, the problem-plagued Caribbean nation is falling way behind target in voter registration.

Haiti has registered just over half a million voters since launching its voter registration drive in July, reaching only 12.6% of its four million target with just over a month remaining before the October 13 deadline.

Interim figures from the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) show that only 506,953 voters had registered nationwide as of September 6, well short of the four million people authorities are seeking to enrol ahead of the country’s planned elections.

Poor voter registration numbers thus far

Registration began July 20, and with just over four weeks left, the CEP is desirous of a substantial increase in voter enrollment. The CEP currently has 2,761 operators working in the field and has established 1,418 registration centres across the country, of which 1,271 are operational.

Registration has fluctuated significantly since the process began. After a slow start in late July, when only a few hundred applications were being recorded each day, enrollment increased in early August to between 15,000 and 20,000 daily applications.

The highest single-day total came on August 17, when 24,775 people registered. Another surge occurred on August 25, when 23,783 applications were recorded. However, the pace slowed considerably heading into September. 

Men account for approximately 50.8% of registrations with 257,447 enrolled, compared with 248,769 women, or about 49.2%. People between the ages of 39 and 48 make up the largest group with 114,177 registrations, followed closely by those aged 29 to 38 with 110,028.

Registration varies considerably across the country

The South department leads with approximately 79,878 registered voters, followed by West 1 with 73,499 and Grand’Anse with 62,116. Artibonite and the Centre have recorded some of the lowest totals, with 36,013 and 36,958 registrations, respectively.

Enrollment remains low even when measured against the registration capacity established in individual departments. The Southeast has recorded the highest utilisation rate at just 12.92% of its configured capacity, followed by Grand’Anse at 12.36% and Nippes at 11.78%.

Artibonite registered only 4.58% of the expected numbers, while the North has reached 4.97%. The sluggish registration drive adds another challenge to Haiti’s efforts to organise elections amid a prolonged political and security crisis.

Haiti has not held national elections since 2016, and the country has had no elected national officials since the terms of its last remaining senators expired in January 2023.