October 24 is By-Election Day in SMS

The people of the St. Mary’s South (SMS) constituency will vote in the much-
anticipated By-Election on October 24.
The announcement was made over the weekend by Prime Minister Gaston
Browne, signaling a process that is prescribed in the Antigua and Barbuda
Constitution.
In a letter issued to the Governor General, Sir Rodney Williams, the prime minister
advised him to issue the Writ of Elections on October 3, Nomination Day is set for
October 9, and the By-Election on October 24.
According to the latest figures coming out of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral
Commission, there are 2,707 persons eligible to vote in the upcoming by-election.
That is up from the 2,588 persons who were eligible to vote in the January 18
General Elections.
Newly appointed Supervisor of Elections, Ian Hughes, said the number of eligible
voters may increase slightly as the claims and objections for newly registered as
well as for those seeking transfers come to an end today (Monday 2).
“We will have to go through the claims and objections process, complete the
transfers, as well as remove the names from the list of those persons who died
since the last General Elections,” he explained.
Hughes said that ABEC is ‘fully prepared’ to manage the upcoming By-Election
which the commission knew had to take place and it was just waiting for the
announcement of the dates.
“The Returning Officer has been affirmed for the By-Election. She is Denese
Parker who performed a similar role in the January 18 plebiscite. There will be
eight polling stations: five in Bolans, two in Urlings, and one in Johnson’s Point.
Training of the polling clerks will take place on October 10. For those polling
clerks who are returning from the January 18 exercise, this will be a refresher
course while for the new persons, it will be an introduction to the conduct of an
election from the point of view of ABEC,” he stated.
On Nomination Day, each candidate who wishes to contest the election must have
a proposer, a seconder, and eight persons who are assenters. They must all be
registered in the constituency.