Turnout low as clock ticks
(CNS): Voter apathy is gripping Cayman with a low voter turnout across the country in the historic referendum on one man, one vote. At 3pm less than half of the electorate, just 49.3%, had gone to vote. So far, only 7,457 people have voted, which is still not enough for the 'yes' vote to win since more than 7,583 people need to vote in favour of the referendum in order for it to carry. With just three hours of voting left, North Side was still leading the turnout stakes with almost 64% of registered electors having cast their vote there, but voters in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman were avoiding the polls with just over 40% going to vote. In the nation's capital 49% of people have voted and in West Bay the turnout was just over 48%.
In East End the voter toll reached 47.6% by 3pm this afternoon and in Bodden Town 49.8% of registered electors ghad cast their votes.
OMOV campaigners were hitting the streets Wednesday afternoon in a bid to persuade people to cast their vote – be it for or against – as the feared scenario of a low turnout and voter apathy looked like having an adverse effect on their expectations for at least a moral victory.
Category: Politics
My concern is now, will real democratic reform ever be pursued, seeing the apathy of voters and the types of referendums pursued by politicians that is not of any great democratic significance like this one. I have suggested we need a bicameral legislature and we need everybody to have two votes instead of one – one vote for their district MLA, and the other vote, an all-island vote for the one they would like to see Premier. That way the people can have the DIRECT power to recall or remove a Premier from office before his term of 4 years end, if he is found with corruption or the people have lost confidence in him. Presently we do not have those rights and preveleges. The Opposition should have pushed for one person 2 votes! Because people want more than ever to have a say on who becomes their Premier!
Accepting defeat, let us get up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again with more significant and radical reforms that needs to be done straigtway like AMENDING OR REVAMPING THE ENTIRE CONSTITUTION to ensure more direct-democratic provision therein.
PEOPLE WANT REFORM, CHANGES THAT HAS TEETH!!!
OMOV failed because some of the people who were in Govt and in other postions who could have helped their own failed to do so and actually chose to help others now they are prancing around out here with the out of touch PPM trying to tell people how and what to vote for. They in fact have absolutely no credibility out here and sadly when confronted with the UDP's political machinery and their very comfortable and indifferent well funded foreign supporters and loyal henchmen were no match. The lesson learned here is help your own people and they will help you. Better luck next time OMOV. I leave you with this some who govern and run this little place may not like the man called Mckeeva Bush but they have never complained about what he does for them in Cayman. Dont hate the player Cayman hate the Game!
Treat ppl good all the time not just when you need them to vote!! UDP and PPM need to be removed from office they are all full of pollitricks!! I am done with both of them.
I hate to say this, but if McKeeva's gang pulls this one off, then it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. They are going to think they have a carte blanche to do what the hell they like and then, "Whammo!"
Perhaps the "One Man One Vote" title was a sexist mistake which caused the female half of the population to feel excluded…