The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

VOTER frustration was obvious at the advanced polling station yesterday as thousands of people waited for hours in the hot sun, with some enduring the long queues only to be turned away for various reasons.

The Parliamentary Registration Department had previously published public notices stating that there would be two voting sites for the advanced poll in New Providence: the Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium and at the National Stadium.

However, for some reason only one polling site - the gymnasium - was open in Nassau yesterday, further compounding the chaos.

And, although voting stations were supposed to open at 8am, the process started around 9.20am because ballot boxes, had not arrived. They were delivered after 8am. As a result voting, which should have ended at 6pm, was extended to 7:20pm.

Some residents of the Family Island also complained that they were only advised yesterday that they could not do early voting in their communities, but had to travel to Nassau instead.

The scene at the gym quickly descended into confusion after what started out as organised lines of voters grew into multiple lines stretching through adjacent parking lots and underneath various tents erected to shield party workers from the sun.

Chaos

One voter, who was voting yesterday because he will be out of the country on May 10, described the scene as “ground zero for chaos”. “There is no way to work around this or say this nicely,” added the voter, a Garden Hills constituent voting in the advanced poll for the first time.

“It is disheartening as a citizen of the Bahamas to have to come out here on this day to see this situation play out the way it is doing. There is no way in the world that anyone can look me in the eye and say this situation makes sense.”

Meanwhile Allvy Penn claimed that he had applied to participate in the advanced poll more than three weeks ago, however, even after enduring the long lines for three hours, he was turned away for not being in possession of a letter that adequately verified his reason for participating in the early vote.

Mr Penn said he wasn’t given a chance to explain his situation or get an understanding of what the letter should specify.

“This is very frustrating. In 35 years, this is the worst I have ever seen. This was disorganised from start to finish,” he told The Tribune.

Further down the queue, another voter who spoke anonymously added: “I feel this is the worst thing I’ve ever seen in any election. Under Sir Lynden Pindling it was way better than this, under Hubert Ingraham, the second prime minister, was much smoother. I’m very disappointed. If this is what is to come for the main election what can I say? I’m hoping they can get it right, but this is just confusion, a bunch of confusion.”

He continued: “I’ve been standing on this line for way over and hour, probably almost two, and it’s not going to stop me from voting, because I’m going to get my vote in. If I got to be here all day I’m going to get my vote in today. But I cry shame on this system, and if this the way our government do business, we in trouble.”

A female voter who arrived at 7.30am told The Tribune that she felt personally disrespected by the entire experience, noting that she had taken time away from work to get to the site early enough to return to the office at a reasonable time.

“I think it’s just a total disrespect for people and disrespect for a person’s time. We knew that this day was coming, we knew this had to be done. So the planning was extremely poor,” she said.

Her sentiments were echoed by a police officer also waiting in line. Asking not to be identified by name, badge number or rank, the officer told The Tribune that procedures seen on the ground signalled to him that there was something more going on.

Noting that he wanted to avoid “conspiracy theories,” the officer who expressed joy over recent promotions across law enforcement agencies stated: “The governing party is scared and those nerves have started to bleed through to the process.”

He added: “Look around you, shirts of a certain colour are all over the door and all throughout the line. It seems to me that there is something more at play here because the things going on here seems as if someone is pulling strings and making rules as they go.”

Other sentiments shared in and around the gymnasium included complaints over “surprised and unprepared” poll workers using the incorrect stamp on voter’s cards. One person who voted yesterday showed The Tribune her voter’s card which bore the date of May 30.

And one angry woman shouted: “I am 59 years old. Never in my life experienced something like this. This is disgusting, disgraceful, demeaning; all of the bad words you could ever think of.”

She added: “When you go to vote it should be a privilege, you should feel encouraged, you should feel good about yourself. Once you come and out and you done put your finger in the ink you should feel good about yourself. Today, this is ridiculous.”

There were also concerns raised about the voting experience of persons registered to vote early in international polling centres.

Hiccups

The Tribune received anecdotal reports of hiccups at overseas embassies in London and Atlanta; however, those reports were unconfirmed up to press time.

However, a Harbour Island resident claimed that her husband was told yesterday that he would have to travel to Nassau if wanted to participate in the advanced poll.

In an email to the Tribune she wrote: “My husband and I planned a trip to Disney several months ago and unfortunately the election was called for when we would be travelling.

“My husband registered to vote early and when he went to cast his ballot this morning he was denied. He was told he would have to travel to Nassau if he wanted to cast his ballot.”

She added: “The PLP government gave no advance warning, posted nothing at the administrator’s office, did not advertise in the paper. We have limited flights in and out of North Eleuthera and thankfully he was able to get the last seat on the noon flight.

“Not only that but thankfully he has the financial resources to pay for a ticket and family in Nassau where he can stay because he now has to spend the night. Surely there has to be laws against this type of (madness)?”

National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage, who has responsibility for elections, told reporters at the gym that the process was not going as smoothly as the government would have hoped, but expressed confidence that it will run better next Wednesday.