ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – Voting is now underway at the Gregory Park Primary School in East Central St Catherine where the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Alando Terrelonge is hoping to wrestle the seat from the incumbent Arnaldo Brown. 

A small crowd of green and orange clad supporters are now converged on the outside while a handful of persons are now on the compound waiting to cast their ballots. 

The gate to the facility is heavily manned by soldiers and members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who are requesting persons to produce identification before they are allowed entry. 

The People’s National Party had requested the polling division be removed from this location but the Electoral Office of Jamaica had said it was too late to grant that request. 

Some early voters are, however, complaining about the lengthy wait to cast their votes. 

Kenneth Campbell who said he was at the polling station long before  the 7:00 am opening said he was second in line to cast his vote but it took more than 15 minutes. 

“This is foolishness. It can’t take all of 15 minutes for one person to vote,” he said, adding that he was not given an explanation for the delay. According to Campbell, it took “forever” for the information for the person in front of him to be verified.   

However a representative of the Electoral Office of Jamaica, who he complained to, assured him that the delay was due to the fact that the polls just opened, but things were expected to improve shortly. She however declined to offer a comment to OBSERVER ONLINE. 

Meanwhile, the senior police officer on the ground said “it was early days yet” to give a full assessment of the situation on the ground as he was still deploying officers. 

Political liason officer for the PNP Dhalia Grant said they are expecting a smooth operation today. 

“Everything is going well and we expect that it will continue throughout the day,” she said.  Political liason officer for the JLP Joy Brown said many of the labourites who did not come out to vote in the last election will be out today as they are desperate for a change. 

Brown said she has lived in the community for all of her 55 years and has never seen any development under the numerous PNP candidates.

Meanwhile, Brown said they have concern that the presiding officers and poll clerks are from the PNP. She said some of their workers were unable to vote on Monday as their names did not appear on the list for Election Day Workers. 

“Now they are being told that they can either vote or work but they can’t do both,” she said.  

Ingrid Brown