#JaVotes2020 |Slow Polling Frustrates Voters In Manchester Central

By: Admin

Image caption: Persons failing to adhere to the social distancing rules at a polling station at the Kendal Primary School today during heavy rains.

Tamara Bailey - Gleaner writer

Kendal, Manchester

A lengthy wait period, compounded by the unbearable heat from the sun and bouts of heavy showers frustrated some voters at the polling stations at the Kendal Primary School this afternoon.

"A long time me in line a wait now man . My God, this process a take too long. Something needs to be done. It come in like a sabatotage this, like unuh nuh want people fi vote," shouted a disgruntled voter.

Several voters could be heard expressing their dissatisfaction and calling for the process to be expedited.

However, no one seemed to have wanted to leave without exercising their franchise.

"The line did long, God know and the people dem did really slow inside deh but if you think me did a go leave before me vote , you make a sad mistake," one voter told The Gleaner

With approximately six polling stations at the school, some persons were hardly adhering to the guidelines of distancing.

It became even more difficult for workers of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) to enforce the social distancing rules as the rain came.

One ECJ worker admitted that the process was a bit slower than previous years, but said that the cause could be as a result of the sanitisation exercises being carried out.

In addition she said there were a few cases of people who left their identification cards and the option of having them swearing in had to be employed.

The worker could not immediately speak to the number of persons who did not presented an identification card.

Manchester Central

2020

PNP - Peter Bunting

JLP - Rhoda Moy Crawford

2016

PNP - Peter Bunting, 9,376

JLP

St Aubyn Bartlett, 8,204