Calls for fixes after voter delays in St James Southern

WESTERN BUREAU:

With Wednesday's Election Day activities in St James Southern hampered by a low to moderate voter turnout, there are calls for a review of the election process, which reportedly saw several potential voters being frustrated in their efforts to cast their ballots.

Homer Davis, the Jamaica Labour Party's incumbent for St James Southern, told The Gleaner that he received reports throughout the day of voters being made to wait up to two hours before they could vote.

"If I am to make a criticism of the electoral process, it is that at some of the polling stations, the time it takes for an elector to cast his or her ballot frustrates the electors. I have heard of several instances where potential voters walked away because they were standing in line for one and a half to two hours, and that is not fair to an elector," said Davis.

"Whatever is wrong with the system, it needs to be fixed, and based on what has been reported to me, in a lot of these instances, the presiding officer needs more and proper training," Davis added.

Nekeisha Burchell, Davis' challenger from the People's National Party, said she received reports of deliberate voter frustration from specific divisions across the constituency.

"With some of the voter boxes in the Anchovy and Cambridge divisions, I am hearing of voter suppression tactics being used, delaying lines in our strong polling divisions," said Burchell.

Despite the small to moderate voter turnout across the constituency, supporters who came out to vote maintained their faith in their respective candidates' chances of victory.

The Jamaica Progressive Party's Leon Cunningham is the third candidate for the constituency.

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