Belize's Electoral Divisions: A Comprehensive Overview

Belize is divided into 31 electoral divisions or constituencies, each of which sends one representative to the House of Representatives for five-year terms. This election is known as the General Election.

Each political party nominates a candidate or Standard Bearer for each constituency. The winner becomes the Area Representative of the constituency, while the loser generally remains the Standard Bearer of that constituency for their political party.

Belize's electoral divisions are called constituencies

Each person (who is eligible to vote) votes for the candidate they would want to represent their constituency in the Central Government. Each political party nominates a candidate or Standard Bearer for each constituency. The winner becomes the Area Representative of the constituency, while the loser generally remains the Standard Bearer of that constituency for their political party.

Belize's constituencies are divided in such a way that their voting population is as equal as possible to each other, ensuring, theoretically, that resources are equally shared among the country's citizens, as required by the Constitution.

The most recent General Election was held on November 11, 2020.

The country has 31 electoral divisions

Belize is divided into 31 electoral divisions or constituencies, each of which sends one representative to the House of Representatives. This is known as the General Election.

The country's six districts are politically divided into these 31 constituencies, with each division or constituency represented by a single member in the House of Representatives.

The General Election is held every five years, with the most recent one taking place in November 2020.

The constituencies are divided in a way that ensures their voting populations are as equal as possible. This is to ensure that resources are shared equally among the country's citizens, as required by the Constitution.

History of the Electoral Divisions

The boundaries of the electoral divisions are occasionally reassessed, usually after the latest census or population estimate.

In 2003, it was noted that there was a large difference in the number of voters between the most and least populous constituencies. As a result, a Task Force was appointed by the Elections and Boundaries Commission to study the matter, and their final report was submitted in October 2004.

Based on the report's suggestions, the number of constituencies in the Cayo District was expanded from four to six, with the creation of the Belmopan and Cayo North East constituencies. These new constituencies held their first election in 2008.

The Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission

The Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is the primary electoral body in Belize. It was formed in 1978 to supervise elections according to the Representation of the People Act, which became part of the Belize Constitution in 1981.

The EBC is responsible for maintaining a database of Belizean voters and periodically informing the nation about the state of the voter list. It also makes proposals to revise boundaries to maintain near equality in voting divisions.

The EBC has a chairman and four other members on its board. The chairman and two members are appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister, after consultation with the leader of the opposition. The remaining members are appointed similarly, with the concurrence of the leader of the opposition.

Chief Elections Officer

The EBC delegates its responsibilities to the Chief Elections Officer, who is officially in charge of voter registration, conducting elections, and voter education.

Current Electoral Divisions in Belize

The current electoral divisions in Belize, as listed on the Elections and Boundaries Department website, are:

• Albert
• Queen's Square
• Port Loyola
• Belize Rural North
• Belize Rural Central
• Belize Rural South
• Belmopan and Cayo South
• Toledo East

Each constituency elects a single representative to the House of Representatives

Belize's 6 districts are politically divided into 31 constituencies. Each constituency elects a single representative to the House of Representatives for 5-year terms. This election is known as the General Election.

Each person (who is eligible to vote) votes for the candidate they would want to represent their constituency in Central Government. Each political party nominates a candidate or Standard Bearer for each constituency. The winner becomes the Area Representative of the constituency, while the loser generally remains the Standard Bearer of that constituency for his/her political party.

Belize's constituencies are divided in such a way that their voting population is as equal as possible to each other, ensuring, theoretically, that resources are equally shared among the country's citizens, as required by the Constitution. After the 2003 General Elections, two additional constituencies were created from the territory of existing constituencies in order to further ensure the equality of the voting populations among the constituencies.

The voting population of Belize is estimated at 148,026 while the total population is estimated at 301,300. The Voter Age Population (VAP), i.e. all persons over the age of eighteen, is 161,677, or 53.66% of the total population. Of these, more than 91 percent are actually registered.

The following were the nine original constituencies created for the British Honduras Legislative Assembly:

• Belize District: Belize North, Belize Rural, Belize South, Belize West
• Corozal District: Corozal
• Orange Walk District: Orange Walk
• Stann Creek District: Stann Creek
• Toledo District: Toledo

In a major nationwide redistricting, all of the previous constituencies were abolished and replaced with the following, doubling the total number of constituencies to 18:

• Belize District: Albert, Belize Rural North, Belize Rural South, Collet, Fort George, Freetown, Mesopotamia, Pickstock
• Cayo District: Cayo North, Cayo South
• Corozal District: Corozal North, Corozal South
• Orange Walk District: Orange Walk North, Orange Walk South
• Stann Creek District: Stann Creek Town, Stann Creek Rural
• Toledo District: Toledo North, Toledo South

British Honduras officially renamed Belize. The British Honduras Legislative Assembly becomes the Belize House of Representatives.

The following were renamed:

Stann Creek District: Stann Creek Town renamed Dangriga, Stann Creek Rural renamed Stann Creek West.

The following constituencies were created:

• Belize District: Caribbean Shores, Lake Independence, Queen's Square, Port Loyola
• Cayo District: Cayo Central, Cayo West
• Corozal District: Corozal Bay
• Orange Walk District: Orange Walk Central, Orange Walk East

The following were altered:

• Corozal District: Corozal South was split into Corozal South East and Corozal South West
• Toledo District: Toledo North and Toledo South were abolished, replaced by Toledo East and Toledo West

The following constituency was created:

Belize District: Belize Rural Central

The following constituencies were created:

Cayo District: Belmopan, Cayo North East

The voting population of each constituency is designed to be as equal as possible

Belize's 6 districts are politically divided into 31 constituencies, each with an equal number of eligible voters. Each constituency sends one representative to Belize's House of Representatives for 5-year terms. This election is known as the General Election.

In 2005, the law was passed to create two additional constituencies within the boundaries of Cayo. The newly created constituencies are Belmopan, containing the capital city of that name, and Cayo North East, centred on Spanish Lookout. These new constituencies held their first-ever election during the General Election in 2008.

The Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission is the primary electoral body in Belize. It supervises all local and national elections and establishes the boundaries of Belize's electoral divisions. The EBC maintains a database of Belizean voters and periodically informs the nation of the state of the voter's list. It also occasionally makes proposals to revise boundaries in order to maintain near equality in voting divisions.

The voting population by constituency as of March 2015, sorted out by districts for ease of reference, is as follows:

Belize Rural Central:

• Average voters per constituency
• Current area representatives

Belize District:

• Albert
• Queen's Square
• Port Loyola
• Caribbean Shores
• Lake Independence
• Mesopotamia
• Fort George
• Collet
• Pickstock
• Belize Rural North
• Belize Rural South
• Belize Rural Central
• Belize North
• Belize South
• Belize West
• Caribbean Shores

Orange Walk District:

• Orange Walk North
• Orange Walk South
• Orange Walk Central
• Orange Walk East

Stann Creek District:

• Stann Creek Town
• Stann Creek West
• Dangriga
• Stann Creek Rural

Corozal District:

• Corozal North
• Corozal South East
• Corozal South West
• Corozal Bay

Toledo District:

• Toledo North
• Toledo West
• Toledo East
• Toledo South

The latest by-election was held in the Toledo East Electoral Division

Belize is divided into 31 constituencies or electoral districts, each of which is represented by a single member in the House of Representatives.

The Toledo East Electoral Division is one of two constituencies in the rural Toledo District of southern Belize. It comprises the district's coastal areas, including Punta Gorda and Monkey River Town.

The Toledo East constituency was created for the 1984 general election and has been highly competitive since its inception. The People's United Party (PUP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP) have routinely exchanged control of the constituency, with the PUP's Michael Espat currently serving as its representative in the House of Representatives.

The latest by-election in the Toledo East Electoral Division was held on July 17, 2024. The by-election was announced by Governor General Froyla Tzalam and Prime Minister John Briceño on June 19, 2024. The nomination of candidates took place on July 2, 2024.

The by-election in Toledo East is significant as it is only the sixth by-election for a Belize House seat since the country's independence in September 1981. In four of the previous five by-elections, the incumbent party failed to retain the seat.

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