“We are ready!” That is the word from the Supervisor of Elections, Ian Hughes,
describing the state of readiness of the Electoral Commission, as voting gets
underway in the St. Mary’s South constituency for an important by-election today.
Hughes disclosed that all the preparations for the by-elections were completed
ahead of the day of polling. These include training the Election Day workers who
will be working in the booths, printing the ballot paper, securing the ink, stocking
up on the necessary stationery, and securing the screens that will be used in the
polling booths.
Earlier, he reported that there are a total of 2,717 registered voters eligible to cast
ballots during the by-election. This is up by 129 on the number that was eligible
for the January 18 poll.
A total of eight polling stations will be in place for the by-election: five in Bolans,
two in Urlings, and one in Johnson’s Point. “The five polling stations in Bolans are
located in the Bolans Primary School, for Urlings, it’s the Urlings Primary School
and for Johnson’s Point, it’s the Johnson’s Point Clinic,” Hughes stated.
The by-election is a contest between three candidates: Anthony Antonio of the
Democratic National Alliance, Dwayne George of the Antigua and Barbuda
Labour Party, and Kelvin Simon of the United Progressive Party.
Hughes said he does not anticipate any problems during Election Day as his team
has been working assiduously over the past several weeks in preparations for the
poll. He added that there were no setbacks due to the passage of Hurricane
Tammy.
Polls open promptly at 6:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m.
Counting of the ballots will take place at the Urlings Primary School and Hughes
estimates that the results should be available between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
