The Dominican Republic’s Central Electoral Board (JCE) has advanced its pioneering national identification program by distributing new biometric cards to both disability advocates and baseball legends this week. This strategic rollout represents the initial controlled phase of a comprehensive digital identity modernization effort.
In a landmark move for inclusive governance, JCE officials personally issued the advanced identification documents to prominent members of the National Council for Disability (CONADIS), including Diego Castillos Yarull, Yahaira Peña Mota, Miguelina de Jesús Susana, and Pablo Lemuel Taveras. Simultaneously, the institution honored Dominican baseball icons Juan Marichal, Pedro Martínez, Vladimir Guerrero, and David Ortiz—all Cooperstown Hall of Fame inductees—with their new national IDs.
JCE President Román Andrés Jáquez Liranzo articulated that this initiative embodies the organization’s dedication to inclusion, a cornerstone of its Strategic Institutional Plan. ‘Through coordinated efforts with CONADIS and our specialized Inclusion Committee,’ he stated, ‘we are systematically dismantling barriers to official documentation access.’
Benny Metz, President of CONADIS, characterized the initiative as a transformative act of social justice that fundamentally strengthens citizenship rights. The baseball Hall of Famers who participated expressed admiration for the streamlined process, describing it as both efficient and exemplary. They jointly encouraged public participation in the nationwide registration campaign scheduled to commence April 12, which will follow a birth-month staggered approach.