The Guyana Elections Commission this afternoon knocked down what it said were rumours that the absence of six-digit numbers from ballot papers used by the disciplined services today was evidence that the elections were being rigged.
In a statement GECOM said that the six-digit numbers would be stamped when the ballots cast today are dispatched to their respective polling stations for inclusion in the count at next Monday’s general elections.
GECOM said that the procedure for voting by members of the Disciplined Forces today does not include the stamping of the Ballot Papers with the “six digit number”. Voting ends at 7 pm today.
GECOM listed the procedure for voting by the Disciplined Services today.
Disciplined Services casting of votes
1. The Casting of Discipline forces ballots shall be conducted in the same manner as that of the Non-Resident Electors.
2. The Ballot Officer shall supply to every person entitled to vote at the respective Place of Poll his/her Ballot Paper in an unsealed envelope. On each envelope, his/her name, polling district, division code number and polling station will be stated.
3. Upon issuing the unsealed envelope to the person entitled to vote, such person shall mark his/her ballot and place it in the envelope which he/she shall seal before placing it in the ballot box provided by the Ballot Attendant.
4. Upon receipt of the envelopes containing the ballots cast, the Chief Election Officer or his duly appointed representative shall sort the envelopes with the ballots cast therein and place each envelope in a packet (envelope PE 20) for transmission to the relevant Polling Station in the relevant Geographical District and prepare a written statement of the number of envelopes so sorted.
5. The Chief Election Officer shall, transmit all sealed envelopes with the ballots cast to the respective Returning Officer for each Geographical District together with a copy of written record of number of envelopes so dispatched.
6. GECOM shall, in respect of each geographical constituency publish the names of polling stations in each polling district where the sealed envelopes with the cast ballots shall be sent by the Returning Officer for the votes to be cast at such Polling Stations before the close of poll on Election Day, Monday, November 28, 2011.
7. In the presence of the Polling Agents the Presiding Officer shall verify and record the number of envelopes with the cast ballots before casting the ballot contained in the envelopes at the respective Polling Stations.
8. Before the close of the poll on Election Day, in the presence of the Polling Agents present, the Presiding Officer shall:-
a. Verify the number of envelopes;
b. check the accompanying Statement of Ballot Paper Account for verification and deposit it
in the ballot box at his/her Polling Station;
c. inform Polling Agents of his/her proposed action to intermix the Disciplined Forces
ordinary ballots with the ordinary ballots of the Polling Station;
d. open each envelope received with the marked ballot papers;
e. without exposing the secrecy of the ballots, stamp them with the official mark for
that polling station at the top for general election and at the bottom for regional election;
f. insert the folded ballot paper into the ballot box in the full view of all present;
g. place the empty envelope (PE 20) and the emptied individual envelopes into (PE 21)
Persons who balloted on Monday, November 21, 2011 shall then be deemed to have cast their votes at the Elections in the District in which the relevant Polling Stations are situated.
The procedure is nothing new as it had been used in the past Elections insofar as voting by Members of the Disciplined Forces is concerned. There is nothing abnormal about the absence of the “six digit number” from the Ballot Papers being used by Members of the Disciplined Forces to vote.
“In view of the foregoing, GECOM hereby call upon all concerned not to pay heed to the rumours being propagated that the absence of the “six digit number” is indicative of the Elections being rigged”, the elections body said.
