Dominica has chosen Semlex for the implementation of a Biometric Network System in order to create new secure identity cards. The civil registery will also permit secure elections across the country. Credits: Dominica Electoral Office documentary More information on : Semlex.com

1. DOMINICA ELECTORAL OFFICE – SEMLEX BIOMETRIC
NETWORK SYSTEM AND EID CARDS
A documentary by the Dominica Electoral Office and presented by Pearl Fontaine
Butler, Presse, public educator Officer at the Electoral Commission.
The Electoral Commission was established by Section 56 of the Constitution. The
Commission consists of a Chairman and four other Members nominated by the
Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
The Chairman is appointed by the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica. The
President of the Commonweakth of Dominica also appoints a Chief Elections Officer.
The Electoral Commission is an independent organisation working to champion the
rights of voters to build a better democracy in Dominica.
The Commission works with all registered political parties, civil society groups and
the public to achieve its goals for free and fair elections in Dominica.
The Commission has recently recommended changes and new policies that would
facilitate electoral reform in Dominica. In order to apply a secure enrollment for
National identity cards, The Government of Dominica called on the belgian
company SEMLEX, expert in the field of biometrics since 1992. The purchase of
new equipment, hiring and traininf of personnel are some of the actions put in place
for the implementation of the new National Identification Card System. The
national identity card will be electronic and equipped with latest security features.
The Commission has begun the recruitment of about 15 young persons who will be
hired as enrolment officers to enroll new electors and cofirm those registered
electors whor are eligible to remain on the electors list in accordance with the

2. Dominican law. Those officers will be divided into three groups : Mobile Enrolment
Officers, Fixed enrollment Officers and Verification Officers.
Thanks to Semlex Mobile enrollment devices, Enrolment officers will be able to
enroll people outside fixed enrolment offices. For instance, arrangements will be
made for elderly citizens who are unable to come to the enrolment offices : there
will be 10 mobile enrollment officers who will travel to enroll them at their homes.
Citizens can come to the Electoral Office to apply for their national identification
card. Personnal datas such as names, gender and marital status will be colleted in
the Biometric Network System (Semlex BNS). The systems includes features such
as high quality camera for the identity picture, record of fingerprints (capture of the
5 fingerprints, first 4 fingers of the two hands then the 2 thumbs ). If for some
reasons the fingerprints cannot properly be scanned at the same time (damaged
fingerprints), the officer can try to capture them one by one or can make a notation
to indicate why the prints do not appear (for example : missing or amputated
fingers). At the end of the process, the citizen will be asked to sign on a signature
pad to complete his file.

3. Once the cards are ready for distribution, citizens will be asked to place their
fingers on a print scanner to confirm his identity and recieve his national identity
card for the enrollement Officer.
This is part of the process of updating the list of electors in Dominica.
Producer : Pearl Fontaine Butler
Executive Producer : Dominica electoral Commission
BNS System provider : Semlex Europe