Statement by Mr. Elvin Bailey Supervisor of Elections in St. Kitts & Nevis – July 20, 2022
Fellow citizens and residents,
His Excellency Sir S. W. Tapley Seaton, GCMG, CVO, QC, JP, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris, dissolved Parliament on May 10, 2022, thereby paving the way for the conduct of the 10th General Election on Friday, August 5, 2022. The necessary and appropriate steps have been taken to give effect to the Writ of Elections.
There are 11 electoral constituencies, and for each Constituency, a Returning Officer has been appointed as follows:-
Constituency 1: Jermaine Lake
Constituency 2: Rhyllis Percival
Constituency 3: Melvon Bassue
Constituency 4: Meguel Thomas
Constituency 5: William Vincent Hodge
Constituency 6: Edwin Warner
Constituency 7: Joycelyn Archibald Pennyfeather
Constituency 8: Phillip Browne
Constituency 9: Tricia Williams
Constituency 10: Kayno David
Constituency 11: Ermileta Elliott
We are confident that these officers will execute their duties professionally. They will be at the nomination sites from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to receive nominations as stipulated by law.
The nomination day has been set as Tuesday, July 26th, 2022. Consistent with the National Assembly Elections Act Cap 2.01, nominations for duly qualified candidates to contest this election will take place at the following places, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and will each be attended to by its Returning Officer. The nomination sites are:
Constituency 1: Police Training School,
Constituency 2: Mc Knight Community Centre
Constituency 3: St. Johnstons Community Centre
Constituency 4: Old Road Community Centre
Constituency 5: Sandy Point Community Centre
Constituency 6: Dieppe Bay Police Station
Constituency 7: Tabernacle Police Station
Constituency 8: St. Peters Community Centre
Constituency 9: Magistrate Court, Charlestown
Constituency 10: David Freeman Center of Excellence, Gingerland
Constituency 11: Newcastle Police Station
Candidates must be nominated by at least two registered voters of the constituency in which the candidate seeks election, subject to the conditions set out in section 62 of part IV the Act. In due course, an announcement will be made of the names of the candidates who have been nominated.
The Register of voters for this election will be provided shortly, and I will provide the breakdown in due course.
Be advised that some adjustments have had to be made to some of the polling stations. The sites of these stations will be made available soon and will be posted in the district, in the newspaper and online at www.legal.gov.kn. Please pay attention to ensure that you know where your polling station is. The information will also be displayed in the public domain, and at the Electoral offices in Charlestown and in Basseterre.
Polls will be open at 7 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Any and all persons in line in the precinct of the polling station at 6 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Anyone who comes in line after 6 p.m. will not be allowed to vote.
Persons whose National Identification cards have expired, persons who have misplaced or lost cards, and persons whose cards are being held by others, once they are properly registered, will still be able to vote upon presentation of any other form of government-issued picture identification. These can be a passport, driver’s license, or social security card. Other documents may be accepted, but the person will be required to take an oath. The Presiding Officers and agents of the candidates will also be equipped with picture lists to aid in the identification of voters.
Presiding Officers, Polling clerks and Tally clerks will be appointed and are mandated to undertake their assigned tasks without partiality, fear or favour. The Presiding Officers will be responsible for the maintenance of order at the polling stations. Voters are asked to pay special attention to the instructions of the Electoral Officers, in particular to those of the Presiding Officers and the conditions under which one’s vote will be inserted into the ballot box.
The law allows for persons, other than the electoral workers and agents, to be in the polling stations. Candidates are allowed to be present, but they are NOT allowed to spend more than five minutes together with their agent. The candidate is not allowed to wander into any and all polling stations, only to those stations in which he/she is a candidate. I am asking all candidates to respect this section of the law as it is written at Section 80 (1) in the National Assembly Election Act.
Presiding Officers will receive all election materials including ballot boxes in due course. The Ballot boxes will be displayed, inspected and secured before ballots are cast. At the close of the polls, boxes will be sealed and transported to the point of counting under armed guards and in the presence of appointed Party agents.
To this end, the political parties will be invited to appoint agents to witness all that goes on in the polling stations as well as at the count of the votes cast.
The ballots will be counted by the Returning Officers (with the assistance of a Designated Presiding Officer) at an appointed place in each constituency; the place will be shared with you later.
Results will be broadcast on radio and television stations and will be posted online. Eventually, a report will be placed at the public libraries.
I appeal to the public to pay attention to the Electoral Offences, all of which carry prison terms and fines. These too will be published.
I invite the public to join all electoral workers to ensure that the elections are peaceful and that each person gets one vote in the right place. All eligible voters, duly registered, are urged to exercise their franchise by voting on polling day. If you are not registered, do not attempt to vote, and do not impersonate a voter.
The public is reminded that COVID-19 Regulations still exist and will be in place.
Thank you for your attention and may God continue to bless us all.