The first official headquarters of the organization was established at Padre Billini Street #36 (today 306), in the old Colonial City, where it remained until 1926.
The Dominican Republic will elect its president today, May 17, 2024, who will lead the nation until 2028. The Central Electoral Board (JCE) is the body responsible for organizing and ensuring the process is successful. Therefore, on this special day, El Inmobiliario shares the history of the electoral body with its readers.
On April 12, 2023, the Central Electoral Board (JCE) celebrated its 100th anniversary. To understand its origins, we must go back to 1923, the year the institution was created by Law No. 35 of March 8, known as the "Electoral Law," and enacted by then-provisional president Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos. Initially, the JCE's specific responsibilities were to administer the electoral processes through which eligible citizens exercised their right to vote and elect government officials.
On June 13, 1924, the Central Electoral Board (JCE) acquired constitutional status through an amendment to the Constitution. As history shows, in its early days, the JCE's Plenary was composed of a president and two full members. This changed in 1926 with the enactment of Law No. 386, which established that the Plenary would be composed of a president and four full members, the composition in effect today.
The first official headquarters of the organization was established at Padre Billini Street #36 (today 306), in the old Colonial City, where it remained until 1926. Its first president was Alejandro Woss y Gil, while Fidelio Despradel and Horacio Vicioso served as members of the Plenary.
In 1930, the headquarters of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) was located at 158 José Gabriel García Street in Ciudad Nueva. In 1938, it was moved to 42 Pina Street (now 260) in Ciudad Nueva, and then from 1939 to 1941 to 59 Estrelleta Street (now 261). In 1942, the JCE was located at 45 Independencia Avenue (now 158).
In 1957, the headquarters of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) changed address again. At that time, it was located on Avenida México, at the corner of Calle 30 de Marzo. In 1966, the JCE headquarters was moved to the National Congress Palace. Finally, in 1974, the JCE moved to a new headquarters built by the central government on land adjacent to Avenida 27 de Febrero, at the corner of Avenida Luperón, where it remains today.
In 1992, the Central Electoral Board (JCE) expanded its responsibilities by assuming control of two public service institutions by law. On April 13, Law No. 8 of 1992 was enacted, placing the General Directorate of the Personal Identification Card, the Central Civil Registry Office, and the Civil Registry Offices under the JCE's jurisdiction. In 2003, Law No. 02-03 of January 7 was enacted, amending Electoral Law No. 275-97 and increasing the number of members. From then on, the board would consist of a president and eight members, divided into two chambers: the Contentious Chamber and the Administrative Chamber.
Back in 2005, the JCE created the Central Unit for Late Birth Declarations (UCDTN), through Resolution 13-05 of September 13, to combat the under-registration of births.
On November 29, 2006, the Plenary of the JCE created, in accordance with the provisions of Article 23 of the Electoral Regime Law No. 15-19, the National School of Electoral and Civil Status Training (EFEC), formally inaugurated on January 31, 2008, and which now, through the efforts of the current Plenary of the JCE, is on its way to becoming an institute of higher education.
On January 18, 2007, the Central Electoral Board (JCE) implemented the regulations establishing state salaries for civil registry officials and auxiliary personnel, while also guaranteeing free services established by Law No. 659, dated July 17, 1944. On January 26, the Administrative Chamber of the JCE began the transformation of the Dominican Civil Registry, with new standards and constitutional guarantees for citizens.
On January 26, 2010, a constitutional reform was enacted that redesigned the Dominican State, impacting the functions of the Central Electoral Board (JCE). The high courts were created through Law No. 29-11, the Organic Law of the Superior Electoral Court; as well as through Law No. 137-11, the Organic Law of the Constitutional Court; and also through Law No. 198-11 of August 3, 2011, which regulates religious marriages and their effects in the Dominican Republic. On January 16, 2012, the JCE Plenary issued the Implementing Regulations for Law No. 198-11.
On September 23, 2013, the Constitutional Court issued ruling TC/0168/13 on Dominican nationality and the regulation of foreigners.
In November 2013, the Central Electoral Board inventoried 116,506 books, whose pages contain 16 million, 748,568 folios, containing the registration history of the Dominican Republic.
In 2014, Law No. 169/14 was enacted, which establishes a special regime for people born in the national territory, irregularly registered in the Civil Registry and on naturalization.
In August 2018, Law No. 33-18 on Political Parties, Groups, and Movements was enacted, regulating the right of all citizens to organize or join political parties, groups, and movements. Then, in February 2019, Organic Law No. 15-19 on the Electoral System was enacted (amended in 2023 and repealed by Organic Law No. 20-23 on the Electoral System).
The beginning of the electoral processes:
On March 15, 1924, the first presidential elections were held, overseen by the electoral body. In this process, a total of 147,228 voters were registered nationwide, of whom 103,281 voted, resulting in an abstention rate of 46,947. Horacio Vásquez was elected as constitutional president for the 1924-1930 term.
Since the creation of the Central Electoral Board, 30 electoral processes have been carried out to date. It is worth noting that the first democratic elections after the Trujillo dictatorship were held on December 20, 1962.
In 1931, Law No. 247, enacted at the beginning of the first term of the Trujillo dictatorship, mandated that all males over 18 years of age residing in the Dominican Republic possess a certificate called a "Personal Identity Card." Its issuance cost one gold peso, and it was required to be renewed annually. With the "Pact for Democracy," which ended a post-electoral crisis, a constitutional reform was agreed upon to shorten the presidential term, which was to begin in 1994 and end in 1996, when new elections would be held. This reform also prohibited reelection, implemented closed polling stations, and established a runoff election.
In 1996, a second round was called for the first time, after the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) and the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) did not obtain 50% plus 1 vote in the elections.
On December 21, 1997, Electoral Law No. 275 was enacted, establishing electoral districts, a 25% quota for women, and the right to vote for Dominicans abroad, which was implemented in the May 2004 elections. That same year, the requirement was established that each National Identity Card must be supported by a birth certificate. The Central Electoral Board (JCE) began the process of creating the Electoral Register and opening voter registration centers.
On March 30, 2000, Law No. 12-00 was enacted, which modifies the final part of article 68 of Electoral Law No. 275-97, through which women can participate in electoral processes with a percentage of 33% of the elected positions.
Law No. 13-00 is enacted, which alternates the candidacies of trustees and vice-trustees, by modifying article 5 of Law No. 36-35 of municipal organization.
In 2004, Law No. 286-04 of August 15th was enacted, establishing the primary election system through universal, direct, and secret suffrage with the participation of all registered voters. On this same date, Dominicans residing abroad exercised their right to vote for the first time. The first office for registering "overseas voting" was established at the Dominican Consulate in New York in 2001.
It is worth noting that the twenty-fourth congressional and municipal elections were held in 2002, separate from the presidential elections.
Electoral districts were implemented at the congressional level for the election of representatives in those provinces whose population, according to the 1993 census, exceeded 250,000 inhabitants.
On July 25, the National Congress proclaimed constitutional reform number 37, which modified articles 49 and 89 concerning electoral aspects, enabling presidential re-election, after being convened by Law No. 73-02 of July 2, 2002.
In 2008, during the twenty-fifth elections, the Plenary Session ordered the implementation of technology at the counting centers themselves, transmitting the preliminary results from the tally sheets simultaneously to the political parties' computer centers.
On May 20, 2012, during the twenty-sixth presidential election, overseas deputies were elected for the first time as representatives to the Congress of the Republic abroad, in accordance with the provisions of the 2010 Constitution.
The 39th constitutional reform of 2015 focused on presidential reelection. It stipulated that the President of the Republic could serve a second consecutive term, but could never again run for the same office or for Vice President.
The twenty-seventh ordinary general elections for president, congressmen, and municipal officials were held on May 15, 2016. These were the first elections since 1994 in which all authorities were elected simultaneously.
Women's participation since the creation of the JCE
Although the JCE was established in 1923, it was on December 22, 1933, that the Executive Branch issued Decree No. 858, authorizing women to participate in the 1934 general elections as a trial run to express their convictions about suffrage at the polls.
On May 16, 1934, in a trial run, women went to the polls for the first time. A total of 96,247 Dominican women voted nationwide to express their support for reforming the Constitution in those articles that disadvantaged women. The country's population was 1,479,417, of which 750,704 were men and 728,713 were women.
Women attended for a second time as a trial in 1938; until that year, minors and foreign citizens did not possess an Identity Card. Law No. 372, of October 14, 1940, mandated that all male persons, whether national or foreign, aged 16 and over, obtain such a document.
On December 14, Law No. 390 was enacted, granting full civil rights to Dominican women and giving them the power to obtain and carry, just like men, an Identity Card.
Finally, on January 10, 1942, the Constitutional Reform Review Assembly was proclaimed, which brought as a substantive change the recognition of the legal and political status of women, granting them the right to exercise suffrage.
On March 1, 2013, the Plenary of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) issued a resolution on “Gender Equality Policies.” Currently, the institution participates in the Equality Seal program, with the aim of eliminating gender gaps in employment and all forms of discrimination against women in the workplace.
Evolution of the National Identity and Electoral Card:
Since 1932, voting in elections was done solely with the Personal Identity Card. In 1974, the Electoral Registration Card was added, bringing the total number of documents required for voting to two. The Personal Identity Card and the Electoral Registration Card were later merged into a single document by Law 892, becoming the National Identity and Electoral Card, which is used today. The Dominican identity card, as an identity document, has gone through several stages: in 1932, there was the so-called "Little Book"; in 1993, it was changed to the blue card; in 1998, the yellow card was introduced; and in 2014, the document was updated with improvements in design and the implementation of biometric technology and digital fingerprints, which is the version currently in use.
