A special sitting of Parliament today will commemorate 50 years since the struggle for full voting rights resulted in the historic General Election of 1968.

Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House, said today’s ceremonies in the House of Assembly would be a special honour.

Mr Lister said: “I am the last in Parliament who sat with the five remaining members of the parliamentary class of 1968 who were still in Parliament.”

As the representative for Sandys North, Mr Lister served alongside MPs Reginald Burrows, Bill Cox, Stanley Lowe, Stanley Morton and Walter Roberts — all veterans of 1968.

The Speaker called Mr Roberts “a mentor to me inside and outside those Chambers”.

“Mr Roberts was instrumental in getting me involved in politics, and was a force behind my election to Parliament. He has guided me all the way through.”

May 1968 was distinguished by the removal of the property vote.

While the 1963 election had granted the vote for the first time to people who did not own property, an extra vote remained for property holders, and the voting age was raised from 21 to 25.

Fifty years ago, the age of eligibility went back to 21, and the property vote was abolished.

Speakers from the “class of 1968” will address today’s gathering.

Mr Lister said the advocates for change had withstood “great trouble — I don’t think many of us can imagine the denial and the loss of jobs they went through to make Bermuda a better place”.

“A lot of those gentlemen were schoolteachers, like Mr Roberts, who had families but had to give up their livelihood.

“For the first time, everyone of age was allowed to vote.”

Mr Lister added: “I was ten years old in 1968 and I remember the election. My family has been involved in politics from 1968 all the way through.”

The community group Imagine Bermuda has organised a ceremony at City Hall from noon to 2pm with the casting of symbolic “votes of thanks”.

Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Attorney-General, will cast the first ballot, followed by activist Gerald Harvey, a member of the Progressive Group who campaigned for universal adult suffrage. Glenn Fubler, founder of the group, said that a student had been chosen to cast the third ballot.

Ms Simmons will speak on the day’s historic significance, with remarks from the Shadow Cabinet, including Trevor Moniz, the Shadow AG. Charles Gosling, the Mayor of Hamilton, is to speak as well as representatives from the Youth Parliament, the Human Rights Commission.

The Bermuda National Trust and Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda will also contribute.

Mr Fubler urged the public to join in.