Elections in Barbados

Elections in Barbados is the process of conducting general elections or by-elections and formulating election results in Barbados. An election is a process in which a vote is held to democratically elect national candidates to an office. In the case of Barbados, it is the mechanism by which the electors choose members to fill elective offices in the House of Assembly. Elections are held on Election Day. These general elections do not have fixed dates, but must be called within five years of the opening of parliament following the last election. A former minister of the DLP, Warwick Franklin summed up the general elections process in Barbados as saying it is really just, "30 by-elections on the same day."

Barbadian election rules are bound by certain parts of the local Constitution, various other separate legislation, and other regulations or administrative rules, or Regulations made by the Commission.

The politics in recent years are two-party, dominated by the centre-left Barbados Labour Party and the social-democratic Democratic Labour Party. Presently, it is difficult for other parties to achieve electoral success.

Elections in Barbados are the responsibility of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (E&BC) The E&BC is an independent body under the Prime Minister's Office (in his or her capacity as Minister of Finance.)[2], which is responsible for the E&BC's actual financial administration. The E&BC is headed by the , and has five members/commissioners, who are chosen based solely on expertise. These members are chosen by both the prime minister and opposition, and can serve for a term of 5 years.

Voting in Barbados by law is voluntary, with registration for elections undertaken by the Election Management Body (EMB). The requirements for voter eligibility are the following :

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