New housing prompts review of polling stations ahead of next election 

Parliament officials are considering additional polling stations for Gibraltar’s next general election as new residential developments reshape where voters live, with the Clerk of the Gibraltar Parliament, Phillip Borge McCarthy, urging people to ensure their electoral registration reflects their current address. 

Mr Borge McCarthy, who will serve as Returning Officer at the election, said his team was exploring whether to increase the number of polling stations from the usual 15, subject to suitable venues, staffing and logistical arrangements. 

The review aims to ease pressure on busy polling stations and accommodate population shifts linked to new developments including Hassan Centenary Terraces and Chatham Views. 

But accurate planning depends on voters updating their details on the register of electors, something Mr Borge McCarthy said relatively few residents who had moved to new homes had done. 

Gibraltar currently has 24,706 registered voters. 

Mr Borge McCarthy said people might assume that changing the address on their identity card automatically updated their electoral registration.  

But the two processes are separate and voters need to ensure both records are current. 

The register remains open for people to update their details throughout the year and changes can be made online or by contacting Parliament. 

For election organisers, the sooner residents make those changes, the clearer the picture of where polling capacity is needed. 

Without updated records, officials could allocate resources to a new residential area while its residents remained registered to vote at polling stations serving their previous addresses. 

Mr Borge McCarthy said the North District required particular attention because of the influx of residents and the limited space at the existing polling stations. 

“It was already quite congested in terms of voters per polling station, so we're exploring the possibility of adding polling stations,” he told the Chronicle. 

His team had been examining potential venues for about three weeks at the time of the interview, alongside reviewing the distribution of voters across existing stations. 

The work also covered the town and Westside areas, though Mr Borge McCarthy declined to identify possible new venues while those assessments continued. 

Any expansion would require additional teams, polling booths, ballot boxes and equipment, including the iPads used to check voters in. 

Officials would then need to allocate voters to each station, balancing numbers while keeping arrangements clear for residents. 

Mr Borge McCarthy said his preference was to preserve familiar polling arrangements for people in established estates and allocate residents of new developments to different stations where necessary. 

That could mean a new estate voting at an existing venue or at an additional polling station. 

The aim was to avoid moving long-established communities unnecessarily, although some changes might still be required to relieve pressure. 

Previous elections had seen heavy congestion at some polling stations, particularly at certain times of day, although Mr Borge McCarthy said teams had been able to cope. 

The review sought to ensure staff could continue handling voters comfortably, including during busy periods. 

For voters, outdated registration details could mean having to attend the polling station associated with their previous address and facing questions if that address differed from their identity card. 

His message was that checking records early would help avoid potential difficulties on election day. 

Responsibility for ensuring electoral details were correct rested with individuals, including people who had moved home, reached voting age or left Gibraltar. 

Mr Borge McCarthy stressed that the preparations did not signal an imminent election and that he did not know when one would be called. 

Having been in post as Clerk for 18 months, he wanted ample time to prepare for his first general election, working on the basis of an election in 2027 while recognising one could be called sooner. 

“So basically it's me being cautious and being proactive in order to then be reactive when the general election is called, because we get 30 days, and 30 days is not the time to start learning,” he said. 

The voting and counting arrangements, including the electronic platform used at the last election, will remain unchanged.