Prisoners should retain voting rights: Electoral Commission

Fiji’s Electoral Commission believes serving prisoners should no longer lose their right to vote, arguing that imprisonment should not strip citizens of their democratic participation.

Making its submission to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Usaia Ratuvili said the blanket ban on prisoners voting should be removed as part of wider constitutional reforms.

He said the commission also wanted outdated constitutional language referring to people of “unsound mind” removed and replaced with provisions consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Fiji has ratified.

Justice Ratuvili said prisoners remain members of society despite serving sentences.

“They are serving their time, but they are still in a position to vote. That is something that is not taken away by virtue of their prison sentence,” he said.

The commission said the reforms should be introduced progressively while retaining Fiji’s voluntary voting system.

The recommendation forms part of a broader package of electoral reforms presented to the CRC, which is gathering public submissions before recommending changes to the Constitution.

Justice Ratuvili said the proposals were intended to strengthen democratic participation while ensuring Fiji’s electoral laws aligned with international standards.