Dear Editor,
The long overdue Local Government Elections that were held on June 12 saw a poor voter turnout of 34.97% in comparison to the 2020 General and Regional Elections which had a turnout of approximately 70.8%. This discrepancy could be due to the belief held by many that the LGE just aren’t as important as the General and Regional Elections and therefore not worth the effort it takes to visit the polling station. As someone who worked as a GECOM temporary staff (Presiding Officer at a polling station on the East Coast) for the LGE I’ve had sufficient time to reflect on my experience and I believe that even GECOM didn’t view the LGE as that important. Also, I suspect that voting among GECOM’s LGE temporary staff was noticeably lower too.
To begin with, during a training session we were told by a high ranking GECOM official that certificates of employment would not be issued for temporary staff because we would be placed at polling stations where our names appear on the Official List of Voters. However, the situation proved to be quite different on June 12 although certificates of employment were not issued. Everyone I spoke with, including my entire team, was placed to work at polling stations where their names were not on the list of voters. And we were told that if we wanted to vote then we had to inform the DRO beforehand, who would then take us where we needed to go on the day of the elections using his/her own transportation. Of course, most workers chose not to deal with the hassle of voting elsewhere which would have additionally inconvenienced their team members who would have had to take on two roles for instance, poll clerk and ballot clerk since work (the voting process) was from 6 am to 6 pm without interruption.
Editor, one would think that an entity responsible for the elections would put measures in place to encourage voting not discourage it.
Apart from the issue of voting by workers, there were other areas that could have been improved. For instance, we were trained using a manual prepared especially for the LGE by GECOM yet conflicting information was given. The RO, Mr Kumar for the LAA Mon Repos/ La Reconnaissance informed us that we had to arrive at the various polling stations at 3.30 a.m. on June 12, while the manual states that all staff arrive no later than 5 a.m. for the 6 a.m. opening of poll. Therefore, some workers followed his instructions while others stuck to the manual. Nevertheless, workers were at their polling stations from 3.30 a.m. to about 9 p.m. (after poll activities) yet no coffee was provided but bottles of soft drinks, so throughout the day people kept dozing off.
And on the point of ensuring that polling day activities flowed smoothly there was little monitoring but lots of inconsistent or missing information. During poll, the task of the DRO (s) seemed to be that of food delivery only while the RO was nowhere in sight. After the count, only the POs were instructed to carry all materials (ballot box, voting compartment, envelopes, huge bag with all GECOM equipment etc) accompanied by the police officers to the RO’s office at another location. It was an impossible task for one individual to carry everything, so some police officers offered to help. Why other team members couldn’t assist the POs is a mystery. Also, we weren’t informed that the POs with their respective police officers would be escorted by a patrol unit. I was left waiting for about 20 minutes with the ballot box for the patrol to arrive.
Then when I finally arrived at the RO’s office he was sitting at a table surrounded by all his DROs and clerks. Why weren’t the DROs allowed to go to their various polling districts to monitor and ensure the smooth flow of after poll activities? At some polling stations the staff left close to midnight because of very simple issues such as not packing envelopes correctly. I was yelled at and humiliated by the RO in the presence of his DROs for no valid reason. He demanded that I open envelopes which were already sealed with the PO’s seal (PE 10) or tape such as PE 4 and unjustly criticised me on how I packed. I informed him that the LGE manual states precisely what goes into the ballot box, how to pack the various envelopes that are not placed into the ballot box and what goes into the bag. I had to get out my manual and show him the exact page which he apparently didn’t read.
Editor, hopefully for the next elections GECOM makes it easier for polling day staff to vote by either issuing certificates of employment or placing staff at stations where their names appear on the official list of voters. In addition, if they use a manual for training then what is contained in the manual should be consistent with what occurs on Election Day and to ensure the election process is efficiently and effectively carried out with little interpersonal problem among staff, those in supervisory positions should be trained on how to interact with their subordinates. Finally, would it be so difficult to provide a bit of coffee for people expected to work for more than 15 hours without breaks for this entity that receives billions for the elections?
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
