Embezzlement, Fraud, and Abstention: The Broken Face of the Dominican Vote Abroad

The Dominican Central Electoral Board (JCE): A Questioned Institution

New York: The Central Electoral Board (JCE) of the Dominican Republic—an institution tasked with ensuring free elections, managing the civil registry, and overseeing electoral funds—is facing serious scrutiny for its overseas operations. Over the years, shortcomings in oversight mechanisms have led to several scandals, including administrative irregularities, the embezzlement of public funds, documented electoral fraud, general deterioration, and high service costs abroad. This has created deep mistrust, known among the diaspora as “the broken face of the Dominican vote abroad.”

Abstention Rates Skyrocket Abroad

These irregularities, combined with the political parties’ detachment from the interests of Dominicans living abroad, have caused alarming levels of voter disengagement among the diaspora.

In the May 19, 2024 elections, abstention rates reached record highs:

• District No. 3 (Europe): Over 75% abstention.
• District No. 2 (Latin America and the Caribbean): 86% abstention.
• District No. 1 (U.S. and Canada): Over 92%, with only 8% participation from a voter roll of 549,553 registered voters.

A Financial Report That Never Arrived

Amid multiple allegations of a massive embezzlement scheme, the JCE has refused to hand over the full financial report on the 2024 overseas elections to El Faro Latino newspaper.

The newspaper formally requested the documents through the Unified Public Access to Information Portal (SAIP) on October 21, 2024, as part of an ongoing investigation. The request included details on the electoral budget and transfers to Overseas Service Offices (OSE). The JCE has repeatedly delayed providing the information, resorting to extensions and delivering incomplete documents.

Legal Action by El Faro Latino and a New Hearing

In response to what they call deliberate obstruction, El Faro Latino authorized its legal team in the Dominican Republic, led by Dr. Fanny Castillo, to file an amparo lawsuit before the Administrative Superior Court, seeking to compel the JCE to fulfill its duty of transparency.

Although this legal action requires an expedited response by law, JCE’s attorneys requested another extension. The next hearing has been scheduled for May 28, 2025, by order of Judge Román A. Berroa Hiciano. (View the court-issued summons document in Spanish)

A Repeated Pattern: The 2020 Elections Under Suspicion

This is not the JCE’s first involvement in the scandal. During the 2020 elections, another investigation by the same media outlet revealed an alleged embezzlement of US$4,618,696.76 out of a total budget of US$7,179,625.20, equivalent to RD$405,648,824.00 at the exchange rate at the time.

The complaint was filed with the Specialized Attorney’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA). Still, the case remains in legal limbo, reflecting the impunity that permeates the Dominican justice system.

What’s at Stake?

The lack of accountability and political indifference toward Dominicans abroad is weakening the democratic process and eroding trust in public institutions. The record abstention abroad is not just a statistical figure; it is a cry of frustration from millions of Dominicans who maintain deep emotional and economic ties to their homeland despite living outside the country.

In 2024, the Dominican Republic received a total of $10.756 billion in remittances, representing a 5.9% increase compared to the previous year. This remittance flow accounts for 8.6% of the country’s GDP, underscoring the nation’s significant economic dependence on its diaspora.

How Much Longer Will the Voices of the Diaspora Be Ignored?

May 28, 2025, could mark a turning point—but only if Judge Román A. Berroa Hiciano, President of the Fourth Chamber of the Administrative Superior Court, and Dominican authorities finally respond with transparency and accountability. Although JCE lawyers requested a delay in the hearing of the amparo suit filed by El Faro Latino, the newspaper’s attorney, Dr. Fanny Castillo, did not object. The next hearing is set for May 28, 2025.