Haiti registers a whopping 6M voters amid mass displacements, officials say

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s National Identification Office (ONI) announced Wednesday that nearly 6.3 million Haitians of voting age now hold national identification cards — a prerequisite to cast ballots. But the announcement underscores the deep contradiction of Haitian politics today: a growing list of registered voters with no secure path to elections.

The figure, representing roughly 85% of the estimated 7.4 million Haitians of voting age out of about 11.9 million total population, was shared with Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) member Louis Gérald Gilles during his visit to the ONI headquarters. Gilles called the progress “a major step” for elections that have yet to be scheduled.

“On behalf of the Transitional Presidential Council, I reaffirmed my support for the electoral process, which is essential to restoring democratic order and stability in the country,” Gilles said on  X following the meeting.

“I advised the institution to keep clear goals, both short-term and long-term, to enhance the credibility of the national identification system.”

While ONI reports record numbers locally, it has yet to release any data on voter registration in the diaspora. Government officials have only stated that offices have also been established abroad.

Authorities praised ONI’s efforts, but the voter roll exists against a backdrop of turmoil. More than 1.3 million Haitians have been displaced by gang violence, according to the United Nations, leaving many voters without homes, secure polling stations or clear access to the ballot box.

In the capital, gangs control about 90% of the territory, including neighborhoods that host electoral offices and voting centers. Several provincial towns face similar challenges. With major roads blocked, displaced people living in shelters or makeshift camps say voting is not even a consideration when they struggle daily for food, water and safety.

Voters registered, elections without security?

While ONI pushes forward with mobile caravans and more than 150 local offices to issue IDs, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has been advancing technical preparations — including staff recruitment and agreements for a dedicated electoral television channel. Still, no election or supposed constitutional referendum date has been announced.

According to authorities, one of the strategies is the deployment of ONI mobile caravans across the country’s departments. Since February 2025, the ONI mobile caravan has been operating in the North. In August, the caravan reached the Grand’Anse department.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé told the United Nations Security Council this week that restoring security remains the first condition. He backed a United States-proposed resolution to transform the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) into a larger Gang Suppression Force (GSF), saying only such a shift could help Haiti organize “credible, free, and transparent elections.”

But with thousands killed in gang violence this year alone, no neighborhoods reclaimed from armed groups, and displaced families filling schools and churches, many Haitians doubt that elections are feasible in the short term.

Pushing for a controversial referendum 

The CPT has also been pushing forward with a referendum process on constitutional changes — but lawyers, bar associations and civil society leaders warn the move is illegitimate and illegal. The Port-au-Prince Bar Association called it “legally irregular and illegitimate” in a recent statement. Members of the association argued that under Haiti’s 1987 Constitution [amended in 2011-2012], revisions require a Constituent Assembly, not a referendum organized by transitional leaders.

“Attempting to impose a new Constitution in this context would constitute a violation by the current political authorities of both their oath of office and the 1987 Constitution,” members of the Bar Association said in a recent statement. 

“Such an act qualifies as high treason under Article 21 and is punishable by life at hard labor without the possibility of commutation (Article 21-1).”

Critics also warn that forcing such a vote under current conditions would further erode legitimacy, while ordinary Haitians remain in limbo about when — or if — they will be called to elect new leaders.

As officials tout ONI’s progress, the UN says humanitarian needs are outpacing resources. Deputy Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, visiting Haiti this week, announced $9 million in new aid but warned funding is at “historic lows.” The UN’s $908 million appeal has received less than 12% of the needed funds.

“In Port-au-Prince, I saw the last functioning hospital pushed to the brink, forced to cut even maternal care,” Fletcher said Sept. 9 in a post on X. “Families who lost everything are crammed into shelters– women and girls bearing the heaviest toll. The suffering is immense. Haiti needs urgent support.”

Still, the uncertain future for Haiti’s voters remains the same

For now, Haiti has millions of registered voters but no clear date for when their ballots will count. With the CPT’s mandate set to expire on Feb. 7, 2026, and insecurity worsening, the question remains whether the country’s electoral institutions can deliver democracy — or whether Haitians’ hard-won ID cards will remain symbols of an elusive right. Haiti has not held an election since 2016.

“ONI continues its mission to bring identification services closer to [Haitian] citizens,” ONI officials said in a recent statement posted on social media. 

“The goal is to make access to the national identification card easier, especially in rural areas that are often neglected.”

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