Bermuda's electoral reform process took a step forward yesterday with the announcement that the Boundaries Commission might be ready to hold its first meetings with the public during the week of January 28.

Commission chairman Sir Frank Blackman urged the public to take the time now to prepare their views.

In the meantime the Commission has agreed to engage the services of a psephologist as a consultant to assist it in coming up with its recommendations on the size and number of constituencies in a revamped single seat electoral system. A psephologist is a specialist in the study of electoral systems and the effect of constituency changes.

Several Government departments have been asked to provide relevant information to the Commission within the next few weeks.

The Parliamentary Registrar will prepare a report on the number of persons qualified to be registered as voters in the 20 constituencies, and the number of people actually registered up to the end of this year.

Sir Frank urged people who have not registered to vote to do so as soon as possible. The Parliamentary Registrar has also been asked, to work with the statistic department and come up with a breakdown of the number of registered voters in each census district.

And the information will also take into account people between the ages of 16 and 18 as of May 20, who the Commission expects to become eligible voters by the time final decisions are made on electoral reform.

The Works and Engineering department has also been asked to provide maps showing parish boundaries, constituency boundaries, census district boundaries and postal code boundaries, said Sir Frank.

“And the parish boundary maps will also indicate the location of residences and number of voters in each of the parishes,” added Sir Frank.

Planning will provide information on development plans which might have an effect on their deliberations.

“It is envisioned that there may be shifts in population from one area to another,” as a result of planned developments, said the chairman.

All the information being requested by the Commission will also be available at its meetings with the public.

Sir Frank made a point of repeating the terms of reference of the Boundaries Commission, specified in an Order in Council which came into effect in August, at a press conference yesterday.

The Order charges the Boundaries Commission to recommend the boundaries, size and number (between 20 and 40) of constituencies in a revamped single seat electoral system, said Sir Frank.

“I would like to draw attention to the fact it is this document which says what the Commission has to do,” said Sir Frank.

As such the Commission would not be concerned with getting its work done before the next General Elections, he said in answer to a question.

Nor is it “for us to say whether or not it ought to have 40 or 43 seats or for us to say whether there should be one representative or two.”

But, when pressed, Sir Frank said he was “quite confident” that the Commission would have its work done in time for the next General Election, which must be held within two years.

Government has made it clear in the past that it would like for the next General Election to be held under a reformed system.

The UBPis now wholly committed to the process, having argued strenuously in the past for a constitutional conference before any changes to the Constitution are made.