‘Photo list’ case brought by Alister Thomas against Electoral Commission and supervisor of elections begins today

The first hearing of a case brought by Alister Thomas against the
Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) and its
supervisor of elections was scheduled to take place this morning,
January 16, in the High Court of Justice.
 
Thomas is the United Progressive Party’s caretaker for the St. John’s
City West constituency and contested the last election. The legal
action, filed in 2023, stems from his request for a copy of the photo
list that had been used to conduct the January 18, 2023, polls.
 
The request was first made to the former supervisor of elections,
Dame Lorna Simon, who allegedly ignored it. Then, after Thomas’
follow-up attempts, she reportedly responded by saying the photo
register is not a public document.
Thomas also made a request for the register to the new supervisor,
Ian Hughes, who proffered the same excuse.
 
Accordingly, Thomas is seeking from the Court a declaration that he
is entitled to the list under the Freedom of Information Act, as well as
an order directing ABEC and the supervisor of elections to provide
him with a copy.
 
Meanwhile, Simon’s and Hughes’ decision not to hand over the
document on the stated grounds came in for wide public criticism. If
a document used during a General Election is not a public
document, residents have asked, then what is.
 

And as suspicions about the results in some constituencies persist –
up to now – some people are also wondering what has prompted
ABEC’s reluctance to provide the photo list.