The president of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), Jacques Desrosiers, presented the main innovations introduced in the 2026 electoral process on Tuesday, August 4.
Guest on the show Panel Magik, Mr. Desrosiers explained that these changes aim to strengthen the credibility, transparency, and efficiency of electoral operations.
The first change concerns voter registration. Jacques Desrosiers reminded that the last electoral census dates back to 2005. The elections held in 2011 and 2015 relied on data from the National Identification Office (ONI). This year, the CEP is carrying out a new voter registration.The second innovation lies in the use of technology throughout the election process. While the old operations relied on registration and polling offices (BIV) and mostly manual procedures, the CEP will now use internet-connected tablets. According to Mr. Desrosiers, this equipment will be used in three steps: registering voters, conducting the vote, and transmitting the results from polling stations to the departmental tabulation offices.The president of the CEP also announced the creation of departmental vote tabulation offices. Each department will have its own center responsible for counting the results.
Changes are also being made to how election disputes are handled. Unlike previous elections, where reports with erasures or anomalies were often dismissed, the National Electoral Disputes Office (BCEN) will now be required to order a recount in such cases.
Another innovation: recruiting members for polling stations. The CEP plans to call on NS IV students as well as university and vocational school students. For Jacques Desrosiers, all of these reforms should help organize credible elections.When asked about the possibility of allowing online registration, especially to make it easier for diaspora voters to participate, the president of the CEP defended keeping in-person registration. According to him, this method allows each voter to choose the polling station where they want to vote, reminding that voting must take place at the center where they registered.
According to the election calendar, the elections are scheduled for December 13, 2026. Voter registration started on July 20, while candidate registration is set for August 20.
