Inocencia Freeman, who lives in Road Town, said she received her belonger’s card last year, after 18 years of residing in the territory. This year, she intends to vote for the first time.
“I’m from Santo Domingo, but my father’s from here,” Ms. Freeman said. Asked what changes she would like to see in the Virgin Islands, she said she would like to see residents born here and abroad treated equally.
“I want them working with everybody equal,” she said.
An expanded definition of belongership under the 2007 Virgin Islands Constitution has encouraged new voters, like Ms. Freeman, to register, officials said.
“A person of the second generation born abroad, [descended from] somebody who was born in the Virgin Islands, is a belonger,” said Complaints Commissioner Elton Georges, a former deputy governor. In other words, anyone born abroad, with a grandparent who is a Virgin Islander by birth, is automatically a belonger.
And belongers age 18 and older are eligible to vote in VI general elections under the Constitution, provided they meet residency and other requirements.
See the Sept. 8, 2011 edition for full coverage.