(Jamaica Observer) There were unconfirmed reports last night that the final count for the Westmoreland Eastern constituency has produced a tie.
On election day, last Thursday, the Jamaica Labour Party’s Daniel Lawrence polled 4,837 votes, to the 4,823 gained by the People’s National Party’s Luther Buchanan.
But yesterday it emerged that both candidates had polled 4,837 votes, which would result in the returning officer breaking the tie.
The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) declined to provide more information on the matter when the Jamaica Observer made checks, with one official saying that the office was dealing with the situation.
In another matter related to the EOJ, the organisation said in a statement yesterday that it had become aware of information circulating that election day workers were required to quarantine after the general election last Thursday and moved to clarify the matter.
The EOJ said that employers had been advising their employees who served as election day workers that they ought to quarantine.
“The EOJ is of the view that this is not necessary, as measures in line with WHO [ World Health Organization] and PAHO [Pan American Health Organization] standards were put in place to mitigate the risk of possible infection from the COVID-19 disease among electors and poll workers. Further checks with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the public health authorities confirmed that self-quarantine is not a requirement for election day workers,” the EOJ said in the statement.