Polling laws to be amended ahead of upcoming elections
Carolyn Stoutt-Igwe. (Photo by GIS)
The Office of the Supervisor of Elections will be proposing for amendments to be made to the Elections Act – this as the territory draws closer to the next general elections.
These amendments, which are yet to be specified, is to create a greater level of efficiency when voters take to the polls during the upcoming elections, officials have said.
“We are therefore looking forward to Cabinet’s approval of the proposal when submitted and the House of Assembly’s subsequent approval of the relevant amendments to the Act,” said Acting Permanent Secretary in the Deputy Governor’s Office, Carolyn Stoutt-Igwe.
Announcements of proposed amendments to the territory’s Election Act comes as local officials return from a recent trip to the neighbouring US Virgin Islands to observe that territory’s Primary Elections held on August 4.
The officials who went to observe comprise Stoutt-Igwe and Supervisor of Elections, Juliette Penn.
They described the trip as an ‘enlightening experience’.
“We observed areas in which we can improve our processes, including the e-poll books, for which we will now be making inquiries with Elections Systems & Software (ES&S),” Stoutt-Igwe said.
ES&S is a United States company that sells voting equipment and services. The company recently visited the territory to demonstrate one of its tallying equipment — the ‘DS200 tabulator’.
The tabulator will allow for a faster and more efficient ballot casting and tallying process.
“With the use of the machines, the long lines can also be minimized,” said elections supervisor Penn.
The next general elections are constitutionally due in the summer of 2019 but there have been suggestions those elections might happen sooner.
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The electronic process can be rigged very easily for a price as there will be less people to bribe to influence the results. With the manual process, too many persons will have to be bribed, hence the results may not be tainted as much. Wait until the voting population gets to about 50,000.
Ridiculous. Please site your source from a legitimate news agency that this tabulator can he rigged. Some people will believe anything SMH
Election supervisor b———. Expect the unexpected.
Under a certain lady’s watch people were switched from the 7th to the 8th district in order to remove dancia from power and similar tactics were used in other districts to get rid of the rest of the VIP (facts)
The person or persons who overseen/mastermind this all need locking to hell up
They were registered all over and s– knew it, persons who weren’t even 18 by the closing date for registration were registered. Don’t talk bout those who were live different places but were registered in other districts….perjury is a serious crime. Watch — this time. A committee needed in the election office. How them so high in the church doing them things.
2 more days for NDP to announce who’s running for elections