Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer 
Prospective voters crowd the entrance to the St. James West Central Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) constituency office in Montego Bay. Yesterday was the deadline for persons to re-verify for the May 31 voters' list. – Claudine Housen Photo
THERE WAS a rush on electoral offices across Jamaica yesterday, as potential voters tried to beat the deadline to get on the May 31 voters list prepared by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ).
Director of Elections Danville Walker told The Gleaner that there has been major activity in most of the organisations 60-odd constituency offices during the past two weeks. He noted that that intensity increased yesterday.
"We are expecting this to be easily one of our busiest six-month periods," Mr. Walker said. "All the offices, even those that have been historically quiet have 20 and 30 people standing in line to be enumerated."
INFLUX
He said that closing time for the offices was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. last night, an extension of two hours, to facilitate the influx of persons being enumerated.
Mr. Walker pointed to a combination of factors for this surge in enumeration enthusiasm. He said the first is for persons to get enumerated for a possible national election in the summer; growing awareness of the electoral system and the fact that the new leadership of the two major political parties has been decided.
While he had no figures to say which offices fielded the most enumerations, Mr. Walker said areas that traditionally see most electoral traffic stood out once again.
"It's the usual areas, like the St. Catherine offices in Portmore and Old Harbour, where you have the high public housing developments," he explained. "Places like St. Ann North and St. James ... those places also held true to form."
Mr. Walker said enumeration activity in the Corporate Area was comparatively lower. At the St. Andrew Eastern office, however, a staff member said it was busy there throughout the day.
Errol Bailey, who last voted in the 1997 General Election was one of the persons enumerated at the St. Andrew Eastern office yesterday.
"Right now, I feel like an alien without a vote. To me, mi haffi have a vote," he said.
Mr. Walker said 1.4 million persons are currently on the
voters list.
