Long queues, manual ballot counting, delayed results and questions around election transparency may soon become challenges of the past for member-based organisations, following the official launch of iVote Live, a Caribbean-built digital voting platform designed to transform how organisations manage elections and member participation.

Developed by ROSE IT Services Limited, iVote Live was officially introduced during a hybrid media launch on July 07 2026, at the Chamber Building, Westmoorings, where participants experienced the technology firsthand, both online and in person. The launch featured a live demonstration of the platform’s capabilities, showing how organisations can move from traditional election processes to faster, more accessible and transparent digital voting experiences.

During the demonstration, participants were taken through real-life scenarios that many organisations continue to experience when managing elections, including lengthy registration processes, limited member participation, delays caused by manual vote counting, accessibility barriers for members unable to attend physically, concerns around verification, and the pressure to deliver accurate results quickly.

Rather than approaching these as technology issues alone, iVote Live was developed around the practical realities faced by administrators, boards and members. The platform demonstrated how digital voting can streamline registration, support hybrid participation, protect the integrity of the voting process and provide organisations with a more efficient way to engage their membership.

The platform represents the evolution of more than a decade of work by ROSE IT Services Limited in supporting annual general meetings, elections and member engagement processes across Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.

According to ROSE IT Services Limited Founder and CEO, Omar Romero, iVote Live was not originally created as a software idea but developed from years of solving real challenges faced by organisations during elections.

Beginning with traditional AGMs that involved paper ballots, long lines, manual counting and recounts, the company first introduced electronic ballot counting solutions before advancing toward a fully digital voting ecosystem. The need for more flexible, secure and accessible solutions accelerated during the pandemic, when organisations were forced to rethink how members could continue participating remotely.

“We wanted more than online voting,” Romero shared during the launch, noting that every improvement to the platform came from real organisational needs and client challenges. Today, iVote Live has supported more than 300 elections across Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean, with more than 150,000 registered participants.

The system has been developed for a range of member-driven environments, including credit unions, homeowners’ associations, civic organisations, unions, internal organisational elections and other governance-based structures requiring secure participation.

Delivering the keynote address, Strategic Business Advisor Conrad Enill said technology must now play a greater role in helping organisations strengthen trust, participation and accountability.

“Technology by itself does not create trust. A platform does not automatically create good governance. A digital vote does not automatically create democracy,” Enill stated. “Technology must be designed around four principles: access, security, transparency and accountability.”

He noted that the traditional governance model, where participation depended heavily on members being physically present at a specific location and time, no longer reflects the realities of many modern organisations.

“Many members no longer participate in the way the traditional model requires,” Enill explained, pointing to changing work patterns, digital behaviours, accessibility challenges and the need to engage younger generations.

For the credit union sector in particular, Enill said digital transformation must go beyond convenience and support stronger governance, financial inclusion and long-term institutional relevance. He highlighted that Trinidad and Tobago’s credit union movement represents approximately 763,000 members across 133 credit unions, making member participation and confidence critical to national development.

As organisations across the Caribbean continue their digital transformation journeys, ROSE IT Services Limited believes iVote Live represents a shift toward a more inclusive model of decision-making, where members can participate securely regardless of location.

The company says future development of the platform will continue to focus on making digital participation more accessible, secure and scalable for organisations of all sizes.