The Electoral Commission was established under section 78 of the Montserrat-Constitution-Order-2010-SI-2010-No-2474. It is governed by the Electoral Commission Act 2012; (revised edition 1 January 2013) and guided by the Elections Act and Subsidiary Legislation (revised edition 1 January 2019.)
The primary function of the Electoral Commission is to supervise elections in Montserrat in accordance with any laws regulating the conduct of elections.
Under section 78(2) of the Montserrat Constitution Order 2010 (Cap. 1.01), the following persons were appointed as members of the Electoral Commission for a period of five years, from 1st May 2023 to 30th April 2028.
The duties of the Commission are fully outlined in the governing legislation namely; the Electoral Commission Act, the Elections Act, and the Montserrat Constitution Order 2010. A summary of the duties of the Commission is as follows;
The Electoral Commission and by extension elections are financed through the monies that are appropriated to it by the Legislative Assembly.
Dr. Sheron C. Burns was appointed as a member of the Electoral Commission for a period of five years, from 18th July 2024 to 17th July 2029. Dr. Burns began her career as an educator in 1987 at the Plymouth Primary School, in Montserrat. In 2006, she was appointed Education Officer, Early Childhood Education, responsible for pre-primary education on the island. In November 2014 Dr. Burns was seconded to the University of the West Indies School of Education, Cave Hill Campus where she spearheaded the development of the Bachelor in Education, Early Childhood Care, and Education program which was launched in August 2018. The implementation of that initiative, saw the first cohort successfully completing the program. After that, on July 31, 2021, Dr. Burns opted to return home. She is currently the Community Liaison Officer for the Montserrat Port Development Project. Dr. Burns has been involved in a variety of local community groups and organizations. She has served on the boards of the Montserrat National Trust, the St Patrick’s Cooperative Credit Union, and the Methodist Church, Montserrat Circuit. She has been engaged with national census’, population survey exercises, and general elections.
Miss Ateshia Lewis was appointed as a member of the Electoral Commission for a period of five years, from 1 May 2023 to 30 April 2028.
Miss Lewis has worked with the Montserrat Social Security Fund for the past 26 years, where she is currently employed as the institution's Operations Officer. In May of 2023, Miss Lewis was appointed as a member of the Electoral Commission. She is a spirited individual who has volunteered her time both voluntarily and involuntarily to her community and thus brings to the commission a wealth of knowledge. She spent several years serving the Rotary community, first as a Rotaractor and then as President of Rotary. Lewis is now the Montserrat Track Alliance's Vice President. As an avid music lover, Miss Lewis portrays her love for the art form by being a member of the Montserrat Emerald Community Singers and participating as a member of her church’s choir. Throughout her life, she has made several contributions to the rebuilding of Montserrat, and as a member of the Electoral Commission, her commitment is even stronger in making the lives of the people of Montserrat better. Miss Lewis's devotion to democratic principles and values of fairness and natural justice remains paramount to the core of her very being.