Elections in Barbados

Elections in Barbados is the process of conducting general elections or by-elections and formulating election results in Barbados. An election is a process in which a vote is held to democratically elect national candidates to an office. In the case of Barbados, it is the mechanism by which the electors choose members to fill elective offices in the House of Assembly. Elections are held on Election Day. These general elections do not have fixed dates, but must be called within five years of the opening of parliament following the last election. In times of war, the Parliamentary session may extend beyond five years, but these extensions can be for no more than 12 months increments each time. Earlier elections can occur in certain situations. Having been a British colony, the elections system is fashioned after the British system with Barbados using the single member plurality system (a.k.a. First Past the Post). A former minister of the DLP, Warwick Franklin summed up the general elections process in Barbados as saying it is really just, "30 by-elections on the same day."

Barbadian election rules are bound by certain parts of the local Constitution, various other separate legislation, and other regulations or administrative rules, or Regulations made by the Commission.

The politics in recent years are two-party, dominated by the centre-left Barbados Labour Party and the social-democratic Democratic Labour Party. Presently, it is difficult for other parties to achieve electoral success.