THREE hundred and seventy-seven (377) votes will be up for grabs when the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) convenes its Annual General Meeting (AGM) later this month.

General Secretary of the JAAA, Garth Gayle, confirmed yesterday that as of September 30 — the cut-off date for delegates to ensure their participation — the list showed 307 individual voters and 35 clubs, institutions or organisations each with two votes.

Three slates, headed by the incumbent Dr Warren Blake, current first vice-president Grace Jackson and former vice-president Lincoln Eatmon, are expected to stand for election on November 29 in what is turning out to be the most eagerly anticipated AGM in the history of the JAAA.

The AGM has already created history as it will be the first time that three slates will be nominated and the first time a female candidate has been put forward for the post of president.

The race has also caused a fair amount of controversy as only this week, current second vice-president and Olympic gold medallist Donald Quarrie accused Dr Blake of bowing to outside pressures to drop him from the ticket in an effort to garner votes.

Meanwhile yesterday, Gayle told the Jamaica Observer that the eligible voters were all “members of the association in good standing, having paid up their dues and were in good standing according to the Articles of Membership as of the 30th of September”.

Membership dues for individual members is $1,000 and $5,000 for clubs, institutions or organisations, Gayle told the Observer.

He said the voters came “from a wide cross-section of the country” who had “applied for memberships and met with approval of the association according to the Articles of the Association”.

While Gayle said he could not speak to the detailed breakdown of the voters at the time, he said the 17 members of the executive, including the nine officers and eight members of the management committee, were all eligible to vote, as well as anyone who was in good standing, having applied for membership and having been approved.

Meanwhile, the management committee was still to decide on who will be responsible for conducting the elections on election night, Gayle told the Observer.

“This is now being dealt with and the committee will decide who will be the director of elections,” he said.