Shaky Start

By: Erica Virtue

Image caption: A policeman shows his inked index finger after casting his vote at the National Police College of Jamaica at Twickenham Park, St Catherine, on Monday, August 31, 2020.

More than 45,000 election day workers (EDWs) and members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) are eligible to vote today, under special provisions ahead of next Wednesday’s general election.

According to Director of Elections Glasspole Brown, 27,536 EDWs are set to vote, along with 12,793 from the JCF and 5,126 from the JDF, totalling 45,455 eligible voters. They will vote at selected polling stations in their respective constituencies, though not at the 63 constituency offices.

However, a requirement from the JCF that police personnel from specialised units must vote in Kingston has raised concerns. The requirement – a change from what previously obtained where ballots would be sent to cops to vote at polling stations in the parishes where they are stationed, but counted in the constituencies where they are enumerated – means personnel from at least two units – the Chaplaincy and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) – are now required to travel to Kingston to cast their ballots.

The Gleaner also understands that while some personnel are insisting that they will vote irrespective of where they must, others have expressed concerns about being able to make the trip to Kingston and return to their jobs within the three hours of voting time allowed.

“If they put the polling station in hell, I am going to vote,” one member of the JCF told The Gleaner yesterday. “The JCF cannot deny me my right to vote. I have been voting over four elections and in the same parish. I am in the same unit but now I have to come to Kingston for this election to vote and nobody can tell me why.”

The cop said he was aware of others in the same situation, while some colleagues have complained that their commanding officers are insistent that they are allowed only three hours off to vote.

Former Director of Elections Orrette Fisher told The Gleaner yesterday that the JCF is responsible for selecting polling stations for its members and a police officer “should not have to drive from St James to come to Kingston to vote. The custom is for the ballot to be sent there and the vote taken at a polling station in that locale”.

He emphasised that the practice has been for police officers to vote at stations closer to where they are posted, rather than having to travel to Kingston. Fisher also clarified that, if officers miss the special vote today, they will not be able to cast their ballots again on Election Day.

Recruits to vote next week

In a related issue, The Gleaner has been informed that a group of 300 recruits at the police training school – whose graduation has been delayed – was left off the list of 12,000 eligible JCF personnel. These recruits have been told they will not be allowed to vote today and will instead be transported to their constituencies next week to vote.

Opposition Spokesman on Citizen Security Peter Bunting raised concerns about the situation, pointing out the confusion caused by the new voting arrangements. He noted that police officers in various units, including protective services, narcotics, and chaplaincy, are now being asked to vote in Kingston, which is a significant shift from previous elections.

“It’s likely going to be chaos ... and a lot of police likely will not vote. They just won’t be able to manage the cost of travelling or the time,” Bunting suggested.

Bunting has written to Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake, urging that transportation be provided for officers who wish to vote.

“They can’t stop people from voting but, since they changed the locations and the people want to vote, they must vote.So prepare transportation for them to come in and vote,” he said.

The Gleaner tried unsuccessfully to get a response or an explanation for the change from the JCF yesterday. Efforts to speak with Captain Roxene Nickle of the JDF also failed.

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