{"id":218035,"date":"2024-12-05T07:11:03","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T11:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=218035"},"modified":"2024-12-05T07:11:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T11:11:04","slug":"thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters’ Picture List"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The United Progressive Party (UPP) plans to appeal a High Court ruling denying access to the 2023 voters’ picture list, citing a need for electoral transparency. Legal advisor Leon \u2018Chaku\u2019 Symister, representing St John\u2019s City West caretaker Alister Thomas, filed the initial case under the Freedom of Information Act after the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission refused access.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Commission argued that restricting access protects against identity theft, harassment, and unauthorized voter tracking. Justice Jan Drysdale upheld this position, citing privacy concerns and instances in the Caribbean where misuse of voter photographs undermined public trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symister claims the decision contains “appeal reversible errors” and plans to file a notice of appeal within 42 days, potentially escalating the case to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal and the Privy Council. He warned that withholding the list could erode public confidence, questioning, \u201cWhat do you have to hide?\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United Progressive Party (UPP) plans to appeal a High Court ruling denying access to the 2023 voters’ picture list, citing a need for electoral transparency. Legal advisor Leon \u2018Chaku\u2019 Symister, representing St John\u2019s City West caretaker Alister Thomas, filed the initial case under the Freedom of Information Act after the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":181312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-218035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nThomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters' Picture List - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters' Picture List\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The United Progressive Party (UPP) plans to appeal a High Court ruling denying access to the 2023 voters’ picture list, citing a need for electoral transparency. Legal advisor Leon \u2018Chaku\u2019 Symister, representing St John\u2019s City West caretaker Alister Thomas, filed the initial case under the Freedom of Information Act after the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-05T11:11:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-05T11:11:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"445\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters’ Picture List\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-05T11:11:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-05T11:11:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/\"},\"wordCount\":157,\"commentCount\":12,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:800\/h:445\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/\",\"name\":\"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters' Picture List - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:800\/h:445\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-05T11:11:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-05T11:11:04+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:800\/h:445\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:800\/h:445\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":445},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters’ Picture List\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters' Picture List - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters' Picture List","og_description":"The United Progressive Party (UPP) plans to appeal a High Court ruling denying access to the 2023 voters’ picture list, citing a need for electoral transparency. Legal advisor Leon \u2018Chaku\u2019 Symister, representing St John\u2019s City West caretaker Alister Thomas, filed the initial case under the Freedom of Information Act after the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2024-12-05T11:11:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-12-05T11:11:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":445,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters’ Picture List","datePublished":"2024-12-05T11:11:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-05T11:11:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/"},"wordCount":157,"commentCount":12,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:800\/h:445\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/","name":"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters' Picture List - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:800\/h:445\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png","datePublished":"2024-12-05T11:11:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-05T11:11:04+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:800\/h:445\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:800\/h:445\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/alister-thomas-2-800x445-1.png","width":800,"height":445},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/thomas-to-appeal-court-ruling-denying-access-to-2023-voters-picture-list\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Thomas to Appeal Court Ruling Denying Access to 2023 Voters’ Picture List"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218035"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218036,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218035\/revisions\/218036"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/181312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}