Polls close on 57% turnout
(CNS): When the polls closed on Cayman's referendum on one man, one vote (OMOV) at 6pm on Wednesday evening 8,715 electors had turned out to vote. Representing 57.67% of the register of electors the number is just enough for the 'yes' vote to carry. The count has now started in each of the districts and OMOV campaigners are hoping that the vast majority of those who have voted have said 'yes', giving them a moral if not a legal victory. Turnout varied across the country, with an impressive result in North Side while apathy prevailed in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The deputy supervisor of elections has said that the result of this historic ballot should be confirmed by midnight.
Although the turnout was not as high as OMOV campaigners had hoped, the results for a mid-term referendum in the summer months are not, by comparison to other nations, particularly low with considerable interest from the electorate in certain districts.
In North Side over 72% of electors came to the polls and in Bodden Town just over 58% of voters turned out, exceeding the national average. In the country's capital George Town and in East End and West Bay more than 57% came out to vote. However, apathy was the order of the day in Cayman Brac, where less than 50% of voters chose to go to the polls.
The hard work now starts for election officials as counting is now underway in each of the districts and at the central command in George Town, where all results will be relayed and official results announced.
Final voter turnout
West Bay 2102
George Town 3391
CBLC 463
Bodden Town 2025
North Side 398
East End 336
Check back to CNS for live results throughout the evening.
Category: Politics
We have too many politicians in the house. I say we have 1 elected member for each district along with 1 member for Cayman Brac and 1 for Little Cayman.
Save the country money on salaries. Half of them in there are just collecting a pay cheque for no work anyway.
The funeral is over. The horse is buried. The grieving was expressed this morning on the Rooster…There will be Turtlemeat tonight in Northward for all those still grieving…Bring some breadkind when unna coming!
Can we now move on to better things!
43% of the people given a day off work couldn’t get out to vote. What a monumental waste of time and money!
You are assuming 43% are persons who are working. What about teenagers between 17 & 20 that are here on holiday fromuniversity?
caymanians are sleep walking into oblivion…..
The PPM and UDP parties are all the same, just wait and see what will happen in the next 10 months. None of them fool me, they are all out for themselves, and any Caymanian or foreigner who do not realize this, just you wait and see. I am sure all of those who have voted yes will see what all of them is about. It is much better to have not voted to please either of them. Disgusting.
Looks like Mckeeva, the UDP and Dart haswon, afterall. They intentionally had the refrendum Election day in July, a hot Month, People on Vacation and people not educated enough on the OMOV process. They could had easily used the November date, as the people initiated Refrendum was going to be done, but that would had educated the people more. They are very happy now that it ended up being a poor representation and they can carry on with their expensive campaign for reelection in May 2013. I urge the people then to NOT be confused on that day and think about our Countr,y over party and make that change. Vote for who you want, but do NOT vote for UDP. They are destroying this Country single handly, while chasing after Dart money. They cannot even balance a budget today, because they are not going through the proper processes, they are operating off balance sheet, their dealings are confusing to the AG, themselves and to others. Every money matters today and from Dart are being channelled through the Premier's Office and not through the treasury, therefore the AG cannot account for the people's money. I wonder how much more crown land, they will be giving away, before they are done. LORD I am Praying for the salvage of my beautiful country from the hands of these vultures and these One World Order pushers.
lol… is that the best you can do. The people have spoken. PPM and opposition lost. More than 6000 people didn't show up and that means a NO! Stop opposing the people and start supporting them by supporting development! And oh please accept that you lost the referendum 🙂
Make up your mind. The UDP sprnt money education the people by haveing district meeting, you all say he wasting the people money and already UDP wants the governor to look into it.
What is it that you guys dont understand about the UDP. They did educate the people. I myself did not understand at the OMOV and i understand it through the UDP NOT the PPM.
You are exactly the type of voter MacKeeva wants, ignorant and easy to manipulate.
Which means you still don't understand it.
UDP didn't spend any money, they used tax payers money, to push one side of the agenda
The NO"S has it- it would be impossible to believe that only 1132+1 persons voted “No” in this Referendum- and the rest of the electorate voted 'Yes" – hence the reason the "NO" votes has it- as the 50% plus "one" was not achieved. I have blogged here before- until a "Recall" is put into the constitution- the OMOV would never be achieved- as Constituents would always get what they always got. Having the Recall instituted would definitely hold them accountable- but without that- it would be smooth sailing for four years by some MLA'S.
CayCompass: "However, with only 8,373 of 15,161 possible votes cast it would appear that either side of the issue would have to obtain somewhere around 90 per cent favourable votes to win the day. Otherwise, the referendum would be considered only 'advisory' to government… Mr. [Rolston] Anglin said the low turnout was likely an indication that people were not interested in changing the existing voting system, despite his party urging people not to assume that by failing to cast a ballot they were effectively casting a no vote."
If both sides have not reached that magic number of 7,582, it means a victory for "apathetic people," people who don't care about voting for the issue at hand in this referendum – that would be me. And it is not that the remaining 6788 people were just being lazy and lathargic about the whole matter. Many like myself expressed "valid reasons" as to why we choose to stay out of this process. One of the reasons that pressed against me, was the awful fact that their wouldn't have been any REAL change if this one person one vote system was passed or not passed. Many that I speak with today, have expressed their hope of seeing change which entailed more Direct Democratic provisions in our Constitution where the people have a more participatory role in the governance of their island. Referendum was good, but those percentage that I spoke with and interviewed indicated that they wanted to see the people having the right and prevelege to recall or remove MLAs and the Premier before the end of their term. They wanted that right and the one person one vote system, would not have given them that right.
Libertarian
Lib, I told you that failing to vote would be counted by the govt. as an indication that the people did not want any electoral change. You claimed that I was misleading or twisting or whatever. I hope you have learned a lesson.
Libertarian by staying home the UDP believes you voted "no" and want to keep the system as is. The people that voted feel you don't care about the country enough to vote. So what have you accomplished by not voting?
I don't why the power to recall wasn't include in the one man one vote drive. Maybe it wasn't included because those who were driving it, were scared of being recalled themselves. Politrix as usual.
Why confuse two separate issues?
I have never been particularly impressed with this reason for not voting. "I don't agree with any of them, so what's the point?".
The point is that democracy is hard fought for and easily lost. We hardly need to reflect on how many people (literally millions) have died fighting for freedom. The great thing about voting is that it is a secret ballot and you can remain anonymous and follow your conscience(just like this post!).
If you genuinely do not agree with the options on offer, then why not go to the polling station and spoil your ballot paper? If you write "none of the above" on their ballot paper. Some people complain that they did not understand what they were supposed to be voting for. Why not write that on your ballot paper? at least we could be assured you value democracy and are not apathetic. A large number of spoiled ballot papers may wake our political class up to what is happening on the ground and educate them accordingly.
The 47% who could not be bothered to drag themselves to a polling station on a day off are lazy, can have no excuses and frankly, do not deserve to be heard at this stage.
43% (including dead people still on the register) stayed away.
The Sisters should be so ashamed of themselves.
Pathetic
Premier Bush, in the air circling Cayman in Air Force One or the Dart Drone as it affectionately known is watching the results carefully. The pilot has been instructed, depending on the result, to land or head for Cuba, where the Premier will seek political asylum.
Ok that's 5 hours to count 8715 votes. That would be 1743 per hour or 29 per minute.
Let's get er done! Can't wait. I think the king will still be the king, but the only question is how his rule comes to an end.
Caymanians you should be ashamed if you did not vote, you are what is sad about our country, very sad. You are the lazy ones, the ones who complain but have a chance to vote and stay at home! Shame on you!
excuse me, why should i vote if i don't see a big difference? ms. pitcarin was right. watch her on news 27. Changing an electoral system had nothing to do with real democracy change. i agree with her
Ignorance, plain and simple, " Why should I vote" you are what pulls this country down, stand up and vote, either YES or NO, but vote!