BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ATTORNEY-AT-LAW and member of Team Unity Vincent Byron Jr. said one of the issues that was being experienced today (Feb. 14) in Constituency Number Four, Old Road during early voting was eventually resolved.
The information which SKNVibes had earlier received was that “voter fraud” was taking place in that constituency where persons not on the List for polling for today were being allowed to vote without the supposed requisite measures being taken.
Byron, in an interview with SKNVibes, explained that he visited the polling station and explained what the issue was.
He said: “I am coming from Number Four, there may have been some issues. I think they are all settled…at the moment. There have been a couple people not on the List who appeared to vote and the Presiding Officer did not want to disenfranchise them. The agents of both the Labour Party and the People’s Action Movement knew the individuals, two of them, and they agreed among themselves that they were eligible…”
SKNVibes travelled to Old Road and spoke to the Returning Officer, Steve Wrensford, who explained that essential workers whose names do not appear on the Early Voters’ List could still be allowed to vote if two criteria are met: 1. The agents from both parties must agree to the person voting and 2. The Polling Officers must all be satisfied that the individual is an essential worker.
Wrensford also explained that once persons vote, it would be recorded in the polling book and the polling division to which he/she has been registered would be informed that that person would have already voted.
Asked how many persons were scheduled to vote today, the Returning Officer said 18 and, at the time when he had spoken to this publication, 17 from the List had already cast their vote and one individual who was not listed.
Byron however indicated that there is an issue he had with today’s process, which was that the Voter Verification List mandated by the regulation 5(2) of the Election Regulations was not present at today’s poll.
“I have an issue that polling went on today and there was no Voter Verification List. The Voter Verification List is one which required picture IDs that the Presiding Officer and both political party agents should have such a List with the pictures on them in order to verify if a person turns up to vote and they don’t know. These were not provided today; we hope they are provided by Monday.”
Late this afternoon SKNVibes also visited the Stapleton Police Station, the centre for early polling for Constituency Number Eight, but was told by police there that the media were not allowed on the compound and had to stay some distance away.
After asking to speak with the Returning Officer, Andy Blanchette, this publication was told that he was not in.
