The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) is to extend the life of the Elector Registration Identification Cards, The Gleaner has learnt.

According to a Gleaner source, the new identification cards will be ready by the end of June.

The Elector Registration System generates an identification card for each person on the Voters' List. This card contains the unique records created for that person.

The card, which is referred to as the national identification, expired December 31. It is used by thousands of Jamaican, especially those without other types of identification, to transact business.

Persons who turned up at several institutions yesterday, to transact business, experienced difficulty as they were told that the identification cards were not valid.

One man who visited a Cambio in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, had to persuade the hesitant teller to accept the identification card.

Some persons also expressed concern that the EOJ was yet to inform the nation about what plans it had to issue the new identification cards.

When contacted yesterday, Director of Elections Danville Walker said a statement would be issued today.

Plans well advanced

Mr. Walker said last June that plans were well advanced to introduce a new elector registration identification card this year.

"The new card will look a lot prettier, have more security features and will contain the individual's address and date of birth, a feature that the existing card does not have," he said.

According to Mr. Walker, the EOJ has done fairly well with the cards over the past 10 years and has had to testify a number of times that persons have attempted to duplicate the cards. He noted that the new cards would allow banks and other institutions to easily identify fake ID cards.