Supervisor of Elections Elvin Bailey delivers address ahead of General Election 2020 in St. Kitts-Nevis
By: Chaïra Flanders
Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 23, 2020 (ZIZ News): Supervisor of Elections in St. Kitts and Nevis, Elvin Bailey said preparations are underway ahead of the 2020 General election which is just 2 weeks away.
Mr. Bailey was at the time delivering an address to the nation on Friday May 22. He revealed that almost 130 polling stations have been established to accommodate voters and added that for ease of the voters, every effort has been made to keep each station at just about 450 voters.
He also reminded voters of the stipulated voting times.
Polls will be open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 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.
He provided clarification on the misconception that registered persons would not be able to vote if they misplaced their Identification cards.
Persons whose National Identification cards have expired, persons who have misplaced or lost cards, 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, social security card or even a senior citizens card. The Presiding Officers and agents of the candidates will also be equipped with picture lists to aid in identification of voters.
He said 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 also 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, who other than the electoral workers and agents, can be in the polling stations. Candidates are allowed to be present but they are NOT allowed to spend more than 5 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 according to Section 80 (1) in the National Assembly Election Act.
The Supervisor of Elections then used the opportunity to remind Employers that employees should, by law, be allowed time to carry out their constitutional right to vote.
The upcoming General Election is scheduled for Friday June 5, 2020.