Voting light to moderate in St Elizabeth
SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Available evidence suggests voting was peaceful and mostly slow across St Elizabeth yesterday.
“It’s nice, no reports of any serious issues,” St Elizabeth’s chief of police, Supt Lanford Salmon, told the
Jamaica Observer in mid-afternoon.
An
Observer tour touching all four constituencies suggested most electors voted early. In some instances, some supporters of the two major political stayed close to polling stations in celebratory, carnival mood.
Election day workers and police officers at several polling divisions claimed voting was light to moderate, rather than heavy. There were a few reports of delays because some electors turned up without voter identification, in which case they had to answer questions to confirm their identity, be fingerprinted and sworn.
The heaviest voting appeared to occur in St Elizabeth South Eastern, which traditionally boasts a much larger voter turnout than the national average.
At voting centres in Bull Savannah and Ballards Valley in the constituency, where incumbent candidate Richard Parchment of the People’s National Party (PNP) is being challenged by the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP’s) Frank Witter, green-clad Labourites and orange-clad Comrades mixed easily in good spirits.
By early afternoon, voting had grown light in the Black River area in St Elizabeth South Western. Election day workers said voting had been much heavier earlier. The same was true at Newell, also in St Elizabeth South Western, with reports of a strong turnout of young people in the early hours of voting. Hugh Buchanan of the PNP is being challenged by Floyd Green (JLP) in St Elizabeth South Western.
In St Elizabeth North Western, there were still relatively long lines at polling stations at Lacovia Primary in mid-afternoon. However, election day workers described voting as light to moderate and steady. There, veteran JC Hutchinson of the JLP is being challenged by former West Indies crickter Daren Powell (PNP).
In St Elizabeth North Eastern, Evon Redman representing the PNP confidently predicted a victory margin in excess of 3,000 votes in a closely watched constituency. Redman, who replaced the former Member of Parliament Raymond Pryce as the PNP’s candidate, is being challenged by the JLP’s Saphire Longmore and Independents Delroy Slowley and Joseph Patterson.
Across the parish, many businesses stayed closed and most others closed their doors in early afternoon.
