A Brief History of the Electoral Process in Anguilla

An extract from the work of Mr. Colville L. Petty OBE
Supervisor of Elections 1987-2013

Meaningful movement towards the democratisation of the political process in the Presidency of St Kitts-Nevis (and Anguilla) did not occur until 1933 when a Commission (the Closer Union Commission) headed by Sir Charles Fergusson recommended the reintroduction of the elective principle which was suspended by the St Kitts Legislature, in 1877, when it opted for Pure Crown Colony Government.

A resolution for the reintroduction of the elective principle was debated by the Legislative Council of the Presidency on 13th December 1934 but it was defeated by its planter-controlled majority. The setback was short-lived because of the outbreak of riots by the poor, landless and unemployed in St Kitts and throughout the British West Indies. Within a few months of the outbreak of the riots in St Kitts (in 1935) the Secretary of States for the Colonies decided to reintroduce the elective principle in the Presidency without the need for any further debate by its Legislature.

Limited suffrage was reintroduced in the Presidency, in 1936, with the coming into force of the St Christopher-Nevis Constitution Ordinance, 1936. The right to vote, for persons “who had attained the age of twenty-one years,” was based on income or property qualifications as follows:

  • possession of a clear income of at least £30 per annum; or
  • ownership of real property within the Presidency of the value of at least £100 above all charges and encumbrances affecting the same; or
  • payment of rent in respect of real property situated within the Presidency at the rate of at least £12 per annum; or
  • payment of direct taxes for the previous year to an amount of least 15 shillings.

The qualifications for membership of the Council were:

  • possession of a clear income of at least £200 per annum; or
  • ownership of real property in the Presidency of the value of at least £500 above all charges and encumbrances affecting the same; or
  • occupation of land in the Presidency, as tenant to another, of rental value of at least £50 per annum.

The Constitution provided that each island of the Presidency should constitute one electoral district with St Kitts returning three members and Nevis and Anguilla one each. (The Legislative Council had a life of three years.) The first-past-the-post system of voting, whereby a candidate was elected by a simple majority rather than an absolute majority, was adopted. The first elections under the new Constitution were held on 24th June 1937.

A further consequence of the regional disturbances of the 1930s was the appointment of the Moyne Commission to study social and political conditions in the British West Indies and make recommendations accordingly. The Commission visited the islands (including Anguilla) between 1938 and 1939 and one of its principal recommendations was the granting of full adult suffrage. The implementation of this recommendation did not come about in the smaller islands until after the second world war.

It was against the background of global demands for greater political participation and self-determination, which followed the second world war, that the militant Trade and Labour Unions in St Kitts, Antigua and Montserrat were able to speed up the grant of full adult suffrage in the Leeward Islands.

Constitutional reforms providing for full adult suffrage for St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla took effect in 1952. Participation in the electoral process was open to all persons 21 years old and upwards and was no longer dependent on property or income qualifications. The reforms introduced five single-member constituencies in St Kitts, two in Nevis and one in Anguilla and extended the life of the Legislative Council from three to five years. The first elections under adult suffrage were held on 6th October 1952.

The electoral process in Anguilla was disrupted by the 1967 Anguilla Revolution. However, following the British invasion in 1969, and the establishment of direct British rule, the political and electoral processes in Anguilla were formalised with the coming into force of the Anguilla Act 1971 on 27th July 1971 and the Anguilla (Administration) Order 1971 on 4th August 1971. Section 7 of the Order made provision for the Commissioner to work in consultation with the Anguilla Council.

In preparation for elections under the Anguilla (Administration) Order the Commissioner, after consultation with the Anguilla Council, enacted the Anguilla Council Elections Ordinance, 1972 to provide for and regulate the said elections. The Ordinance made several amendments to the Constitution and Elections Ordinance (contained in the Revised Edition of the Laws of Saint Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla prepared under the authority of the Revised Edition of the Laws Ordinance 1959) to suit Anguilla's circumstances. It created new electoral districts as follows: (1) Island Harbour, (2) Sandy Hill, (3) Valley North, (4) Valley South, (5) Road North, (6) Road South and (7) West End, and fixed the voting age at 18 years and upwards. The first elections under the Anguilla (Administration) Order were held on 24th July 1972.

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