Caye Caulker cannabis referendum to cost GoB $172,000
BELMOPAN, Fri. Oct. 3, 2025
On August 28, the Governor General issued a writ of referendum on the legalization of cannabis in Caye Caulker. Since then, the Elections and Boundaries Department (EBD) entered preparation mode, and at last Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Minister Henry Usher confirmed that the Department had completed its preparations for the referendum. Chief Elections Officer, Josephine Tamai confirmed to Amandala todaythat the budget for the referendum is $172,000. The poll is set to take place on Wednesday, October 8.
A total of 1,454 persons are eligible to vote, having registered in the Belize Rural South Division by the cut-off date of September 10. There will be 3 polling stations, all located at the Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School. Counting will also take place at the same location, so there will be no need for the transportation of ballot boxes. According to Tamai, they expect counting to be completed by 10:00 p.m., on Wednesday, after which the results will be announced.
Eighteen officials (returning officer, election clerk, presiding officer, poll clerks and counting clerks) will conduct the referendum, which Tamai described as the first of its kind, confined to a specific area.
The election officials have been trained, and so have election monitors or observers so they understand their roles and responsibilities. “In this case, because we know that you don’t have the political parties, the Elections and Boundaries Commission decided to invite monitors,” Tamai explained. She added that this decision was taken to avoid any potential complaints about the process. Designated as monitors are organizations represented in the Senate: the Belize Network of NGOs, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize and civil society steering committee, the Belize Council of Churches and National Evangelical Association, and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Subsequently, an invitation was also extended to the petition organizers for them to also serve as monitors to ensure fairness. It means that both the YES and NO campaigns will be represented. In essence, the monitors will serve as scrutineers.
No campaigning will be allowed inside polling stations, and the monitors are required to wear neutral clothing. However, tents can be set up outside of the 100-yard line.
While the referendum question is formulated entirely by the petitioners, the Department distributed sample ballots to the YES and NO vote proponents as part of their educational efforts. The question is: “Should the government of Belize pass legislation to create a responsible, regulated and taxable legal cannabis industry on the island of Caye Caulker with a portion of the revenue going directly for the benefit of Caye Caulker and its residents?” The Department itself has also produced ads showing the question.
For anyone curious, voting by proxy may not come into play in this referendum. As Tamai explained, the categories of persons who can vote by proxy are very small. “Basically, it’s police officers; you have the BDF; you have the Coast Guard; persons acting as elections officers; persons employed outside Belize in any of the Belizean embassies, high commission, diplomatic missions or consulates — including their spouses; and so, it is very likely that we won’t need to have any proxy this time,” she shared.
The police will also have increased presence on the island on referendum day. Voting begins at 7:00 a.m. and concludes at 6:00 p.m. Tamai emphasized that employers are required to allow their employees time off to vote. Also, the sale of liquor is prohibited from the time the polls open up until counting.
The Department intends to provide hourly updates of voter turnout on its website.
Since the Referendum Act was amended in 2019 when Belizeans were going to the polls for the ICJ referendum, outcomes are now determined by a simple majority. Nonetheless, Tamai encourages all registered voters to participate in the historic democratic process.
