Despite a few hiccups, including delays, members of the disciplined services cast their ballots without major incident yesterday—a week ahead of the country’s general elections.
After the 7 pm close of polls, the major contesting parties said they were satisfied with the process, for which 6,187 members of the police force, the army and the prison service countrywide were registered to vote at 70 identified polling stations.
Members of the disciplined services vote in advance of the general population since they are required to be on stand-by on polling day. The exercise also gives the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) the opportunity to evaluate its operations and iron out the kinks.
Among the issues raised by some voters yesterday were difficulties locating their names on the lists provided, which were blamed for some delays in the process. Gecom spokesman Vishnu Persaud also responded to “rumours” about the absence of the six-digit number on the ballot papers, saying it would be stamped when the ballots cast are dispatched to their respective polling stations for inclusion in the count at next Monday’s general elections.
When contacted, PPP/C Campaign Manager Robert Persaud said that ruling party saw yesterday’s polling as “a good dry run” for the general elections.
According to him, both the PPP/C presidential candidate Donald Ramotar and prime ministerial candidate Samuel Hinds visited polling stations and observed the process, which was going smoothly. Earlier logistical hiccups, he noted, were subsequently sorted out and he added that the party expects that any operational deficiency that was detected would be corrected for the general polling.
“But there were no major problems or issues to create any difficulties about the polling process,” he said.
He did note that the party received a report that bad weather prevented Gecom staff from landing in the New River Triangle and as a result the servicemen there would have to vote on elections day next week.
The arrangements made were adequate, APNU Campaign Manager Joseph Harmon told Stabroek News, while noting that early glitches that delayed the process were resolved by midday. “By and large we are satisfied that the vast majority of servicemen had an opportunity to vote,” he said.
Harmon added that there was a large turn out in the early stages, which he said is being seen as a “good sign” for the response that can be expected at the national level next week.
AFC’s Chief Scrutineer David Patterson, meanwhile, reported that based on the feedback from the party’s agents, “there were no major incidents.” He did, however, add that there are “minor operational issues” that the party would seek to resolve in a meeting with Gecom.
Meanwhile, when contacted for comment last night, a spokesperson directed that the TUF office be called today for a comment on the process.
Delays
At the Police Sports Club there were complaints coming from several police officers who said there was a slight mix-up with the lists of names. According to a senior officer at the location, the lists were sent to Gecom in alphabetical order but were not returned the same way. This, the officer said, caused a delay in the process as persons frustratingly traversed the lines checking for their names.
A few officers from the Brickdam Police Station also complained that the random listing of the names served to delay the process. According to one rank, she was at the station since some time after 7 yesterday morning and was finally able to cast her ballot some time after 11 am.
An officer noted that the difficulties arose as a result of persons not going through the initial list before entering the lines. She explained that the lists at the various stations showed the specific division in which each officer was supposed to vote at the polling stations. The Brickdam Station, for example, had three polling places within the compound and each was assigned to officers from different divisions. As a result, the officer explained, if those officers who had experienced the difficulties and setbacks had gone through the list, they would not have had to move from line to line but rather go to the place that they were assigned to on the list.
“You have to join all the lines and wait long, long only to hear your name ain’t on the list and go join another one,” a police officer reported, while adding that she had been at the polling station for almost two hours. However, other officers from the same station and others were patient with the process and confirmed that things ran smoothly.
Electors also complained of not being able to locate their names on the lists after checking multiple polling places. As a result, a police sergeant complained that he had been discouraged from voting.
At the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary, voting was being conducted in an orderly fashion and observers had little complaints of events as they unfolded.
Arica Amsterdam, an Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) observer, told this newspaper that there was one instance where the cardboard screen fell while an elector was in the process of voting. Another minor issue experienced at this polling station was one voter who apparently did not properly douse his finger in the indelible ink and had to repeat the process.
Apart from these issues, voting, she said, was “very smooth” and this was evident as there was a light flow of persons who orderly voted in a quiet manner with the guidance of the polling officers. The peak period for this location was said to be between 7 am to 10.30 am.
PPP/C Scrutineer Sais Gajraj related that in excess of 90% of voters showed up at that station and everything “went smoothly.”
Meanwhile, on the East Coast Demerara, many of the servicemen and women completed voting during the morning hours.
Though media representatives were not permitted to enter the polling station, it was disclosed that approximately 50 to 60 persons had already cast their votes at the Sparendaam Police Station before noon.
At the Lusignan Prison’s administration building, officials refused to comment about the voting procedure and this was also the case at the La Grange and Ruimveldt police stations.
One official from the army indicated that the voting process went smoothly and was a mere three to four minutes long for each voter.
When this newspaper visited several polling stations in Georgetown around the 7 pm closing of poll time, voters had already gone home and Gecom workers were packing up and getting ready to have the ballots transported.
Rumours
Gecom spokesman Persaud dismissed “rumours” that the absence of the six-digit number on the ballot papers—stamped to indicate the polling station at which the ballot would be counted—“was evidence that the elections are being rigged.”
The six-digit numbers would be stamped when the ballots cast yesterday are dispatched to their respective polling stations for inclusion in the count at next Monday’s general elections, he explained in a statement issued yesterday afternoon.
“Gecom hereby takes the opportunity to make it abundantly and unambiguously clear that the procedure for voting by members of the disciplined forces does not include the stamping of the ballot papers with the six-digit number,” he said.
He added that the procedure is not new, having been used during past for voting by members of the disciplined forces. “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,” he emphasised.
He told Stabroek News that Gecom had earlier indicated that the number was not required for the disciplined forces’ voting and that the heads of the forces had been briefed on the protocol.
According to Gecom, voting by the disciplined services is conducted in the same manner as that of non-resident electors.
After voting, the elector is to place their ballot in the envelope provided, which he/she shall seal before placing it in the ballot box provided by the ballot attendant. Upon receipt of the envelopes containing the ballots cast, the Chief Election Officer or his duly appointed representative shall sort the envelopes and place each in a packet for transmission to the relevant polling station in the relevant geographical district, where the vote would be counted.
Gecom said 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.
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, it explained.
In the presence of the polling agents, Gecom added, 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 polling stations. Further, before the close of the poll, in the presence of the polling agents present, the Presiding Officer shall: verify the number of envelopes; check the accompanying Statement of Ballot Paper Account for verification and deposit it in the ballot box at his/her polling station; inform polling agents of his/her proposed action to intermix the disciplined forces ordinary ballots with the ordinary ballots of the polling station; open each envelope received with the marked ballot papers; 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; and insert the folded ballot paper into the ballot box in the full view of all present.
Persons who balloted yesterday shall then be deemed to have cast their votes at the elections in the district in which the relevant polling stations are situated, Gecom said.
