As Jamaicans prepare to head to the polls on 3 Sept., thousands of their countrymen and women in Cayman will be watching the elections from afar. Despite deep ties to home – through mortgages, remittances and family – most will be unable to vote unless they purchase a plane ticket back to the island.
Under Jamaica’s current electoral laws, citizens living overseas can remain on the voters’ register, but they must physically return to their constituencies to vote. For members of Cayman’s Jamaican community – estimated at nearly 15,000 workers, not including their families – that requirement has become a growing source of frustration and debate.
For some, the inability to vote from abroad feels like a form of disenfranchisement. One Cayman-based woman, registered to vote in St. Catherine South Western, who asked not to be named, described the sense of exclusion.
“It is our democratic right. We are citizens of Jamaica,” she said. “Jamaica is home for us. When we’ve completed our contractual duties in Cayman, that’s where we are going back. We have investments. We’re paying mortgages and land taxes. We are sending remittances and directly contributing to the GDP. If I am paying the mortgage of a house, I should have some say in the running of the house.”
She argued that Jamaica, despite its proud democratic traditions, is lagging behind other nations that have developed their electoral systems to give citizens abroad a voice at the polls.
“We have consulates in almost every country. Why aren’t we using them for more than just renewing passports?” she asked.
For Demoy Nash, a Jamaican working with Cayman’s Department of Agriculture and registered in St. Ann South Western, the lack of an absentee voting system is disheartening. Unable to travel home for professional and logistical reasons, he cannot take part in the election.
“In today’s technological age, absentee voting should be seen as a necessary step in advancing our democracy,” he said. “Right now, I cannot vote in Cayman because I’m not a citizen and I cannot vote in Jamaica because no facility exists to enable my vote. It is alienating. I have no say in the country in which I live or the country where I am from.”
Nash noted that Jamaica’s announcement of elections at short notice makes it even harder for Cayman-based Jamaicans to plan trips home to vote.
Yet some see the inconvenience as a sacrifice worth making.
Locksley Davis, who has lived in Cayman for 24 years, said he timed his vacation around the polls and was simply waiting for Prime Minister Andrew Holness to announce the date. He is returning to St. Catherine South to cast his ballot.
“I have been following politics in Jamaica for a long time and I feel very strongly about voting,” he said. “Jamaica is far behind. … It would be great if those of us in the diaspora could vote from abroad.”
‘No vote without residency’
Not all Jamaicans in Cayman share these frustrations. Some believe voting should be reserved for those who live on the island and feel the direct consequences of electoral outcomes.
Three Cayman-based government workers, all registered voters in Jamaica but who asked not to be named, voiced support for keeping the current policy that requires members of the diaspora to return home in order to cast a ballot.
One, who has lived in Cayman for nine years and is registered in St. Catherine South Eastern, said:
“I have no problem with the diaspora unable to vote unless they return home,” he said. “Yes, we contribute to the country mainly through remittances, but we are not current taxpayers so I believe we should not be allowed to vote from where we are.”
Another, employed with the Cayman government for more than six years and registered in Clarendon North Western, agreed that remittances alone should not justify voting rights:
“I don’t believe persons from the diaspora should be able to vote unless they are directly contributing to the economy through income taxes, not just remittances,” she said.
A government worker who has lived in Cayman for seven years, said he will not be returning home to vote, though he would have been eligible in St. Andrew North Central. He believes the requirement to travel home demonstrates commitment.
“If you spend the majority of your time away, then you should at least be present if you want your voice heard,” he said, adding that voters should “share both the privileges and consequences” of their choice.
The wider elections policy debate
The question of diaspora voting has lingered on Jamaica’s political agenda for decades. In 2015, then Opposition Leader and current Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged the government to consider international models such as France’s overseas constituencies. Opposition Leader Mark Golding, has called for deeper diaspora involvement in governance, yet the issue remains divisive.
Supporters highlight the diaspora’s economic weight, sending home billions annually – roughly 18% of GDP. Cayman alone ranks as the fourth-largest source market for remittances, after the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The contrast with Cayman’s electoral system underscores the debate: while just over 50% of Jamaicans say they plan to vote in the September election, Cayman’s 2025 election saw turnout at 73% – among the highest in the world. This was due in part to postal and mobile voting, which accounted for nearly 10% of ballots. Without those options, turnout would have been closer to 63%, Supervisor of Elections Wesley Howell noted.
For Jamaicans abroad who contribute financially but cannot participate politically, the exclusion feels illogical.
“Provisions should be made to allow us to cast our votes, especially given Jamaica’s ongoing struggle with low voter turnout,” said Brian Cuff, a Cayman-based media professional from St. Catherine Central.
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