AFTER 24 days of official campaigning and millions of dollars spent, it’s now down to the voters to determine which of the 499 nominated candidates will be elected to serve in the island’s 14 municipal corporations and as the mayor of Portmore.

Just over two million Jamaicans are eligible to vote, and with a voter turnout of 41 per cent when police, soldiers and election day workers cast their ballots last Thursday, it is anticipated that more than the 30 per cent of electors who voted in 2016 will vote today. But a forecast of rain for sections of the island could suppress the numbers.

Both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) have hyped the importance of today’s election, the first municipal contest in almost eight years, and have spent the past three weeks criss-crossing the island and pressing flesh in an attempt to pull out the votes.

PNP President Mark Golding has labelled the election a referendum on the leadership of JLP Leader Prime Minister Andrew Holness and is hoping a strong showing today will give the Opposition party the momentum it needs going into the next general election constitutionally due in 2025.

“This will be a referendum on this Government, this will be an earthquake for the labour party Government, because when, on the 26th, the PNP is victorious in the local government election, it is only a matter of time before the general election has to be called and the PNP will be returned to power,” declared Golding on the campaign trail.

While charging that it would be a desperate person to liken the local government election to a referendum on his leadership, Holness has left little doubt that his party wants to send a strong signal when the votes are counted today.

“Don’t let anybody tell you foolishness. The only party that has run the country and the economy well since Independence, if you check back the records on it, it is the Jamaica Labour Party,” has been the mantra from Holness on the campaign trail.

The polls are scheduled to open at 7:00 am and close at 5:00 pm and the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) says all is set for the smooth running of the island’s 9th local government election.

According to the EOJ, voting will take place in 6,726 polling stations in 2,148 locations across the island with the preliminary counting of ballots taking place inside the polling stations as soon as the polls close.

“We have been working diligently to ensure that all is in place; the constituencies have met, supplies have been distributed and workers will receive their final briefing on Sunday [yesterday],” said Glasspole Brown, director of elections, as he appealed to electors to exercise patience at the polling stations.

“Many electors seem to turn out during the first two or three hours of polling, which is when the lines are usually longest. We are reminding them that voting lasts for 10 hours, so I am encouraging electors to utilise the time during the day up to 5:00 pm to vote,” added Brown.

The EOJ has also announced that special measures will be put in place to allow just over 30 members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force
— who were not allowed to vote last Thursday when other police, soldiers, and election day workers voted as no ballots were provided for them
— to vote today.

The election will be observed by local watchdog group Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections and a small delegation from the Organization of American States and the British High Commission.