Electoral register over 15,000

| 02/02/2009

(CNS): After a last minute surge of people registering to vote over the weekend the elections office revealed that the number of people entitled to vote in the May General Election is now 15,117. The office made a concerted effort to offer everyone a chance to enter their names before the register closed at midnight on Sunday, 1 February, and more than 200 people came forward over the final weekend.

“The last minute drive to get people registered was well worth it,” said Deputy Supervisors of Elections Colford Scott (above). “We had 115 people register on Saturday and another 101 on Sunday.”

With the election list set and the writs issued, the next key event in the calendar is Nomination Day, which will take place on 25 March, the day after the dissolution of parliament by the governor on 24 March. All potential political candidates will have declared themselves and then be officially nominated to run for office in the election, which takes place on 20 May. This year it is also expected that the referendum on the Cayman Islands’ future constitution will also take place on the same day, setting an enormous challenge for Elections Supervisor Kearney Gomez and his team. He recently said that the office would be looking to recruit more than 600 volunteers to help them conduct this year’s election and referendum, double the usual amount of people.

“We already have a pool of people but this year we need double the usual number and we are approaching the private sector for volunteers,” said Gomez, adding that anyone who would like to participate does not have to be Caymanian but merely to have lived on the island for more than four years.

With 107 days to go before election day we can expect to see the political campaigning begin soon and Gomez has also issued a statement advising the public on the conduct at political meetings, which will likely commence shortly. 

“Pursuant to section 100, subsection 5 of the Elections Law, anyone who incites, combines or conspires with others to act in a disorderly manner with intent to prevent the transaction of the business of a public meeting called for the purpose of promoting the election of a candidate, is guilty of an illegal practice,” he stated. “Anyone found guilty of this practice will in addition to a fine or imprisonment also be incapable during a period of five years from the date of conviction of being registered as an elector or of voting at an election or being a candidate for election to the Legislative Assembly.”

 

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  1. Anonymous says:

    What is the total number of people in the country that are eligible to vote? What percentage are registered of the total?

  2. Anonymous says:

    Wow democracy still working in Cayman Islands.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Is this not exiting. So many new persons registered. Great. Keep up the good works.!!