EOJ, parties to launch educational campaign on ballot-marking

WESTERN BUREAU:

Director of Elections Glasspole Brown says the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) is poised to launch a public education campaign to guide voters on how to properly mark ballots in line with the Representation of the People Act.

“We are going to have a series of public announcements guiding persons on the proper marking of the ballot. That is coming out shortly,” said Brown, who said the campaign will run across traditional media, social media, and print, in the lead-up to the upcoming general election on September 3.

Over the years, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) have undertaken campaigns to educate their supporters about properly marking their ballots.

In the 2016 election, 9,875 ballots were rejected nationally from 882,389 cast. In 2020, 8,806 ballots were rejected from 724,317 used, with more than 1,000 coming from Clarendon North Western alone. That sparked a magisterial recount, after which the JLP’s Phillip Henriques was declared winner over the PNP’s Richard Azan based on ballots showing clear voter intention.

In Westmoreland Eastern, the JLP’s Danny Lawrence was eventually declared the winner, scraping home by 11 votes after a recount, which saw him defeating PNP’s Luther Buchanan, who was the sitting member of parliament.

REJECTED BALLOTS

According to Senator Charles Sinclair, the JLP deputy general secretary responsible for five parishes, rejected ballots can be caused through a deliberate effort, accidental or systemic.

“There are many reasons for rejecting ballots. If a person chooses not to vote for either candidate, that’s their democratic right. But if the ‘X’ crosses both boxes, or is outside the designated area, the ballot will be rejected,” said Sinclair.

Sinclair said when a voter marks the ‘X’ beyond the boundaries or writing ‘yes’ across ballots, that would lead to a rejection.

According to Sinclair, the JLP uses multiple tools, including the voters’ guide, media outreach, and training of field workers, to educate voters. They also encourage people with literacy or vision challenges to bring assistance into the voting booth, which is allowed under election rules.

TRAINING FIELD STAFF

However, Sinclair was somewhat wary about inconsistency in ballot adjudication, saying judges tend to be strict despite calls for greater leniency when voter intent is clear.

Collin Hitchman, the PNP Region Six chairman, said his party has similarly stepped up it grassroots voter education through the training of field staff to assist electors in St James, Hanover, and Westmoreland.

“Our party workers know their communities and target those who may need help, to ensure they understand proper ballot-marking,” said Hitchman. “Every ‘X’ really counts, especially in marginal seats.”

Hitchman also echoed concerns about differing judicial standards in ballot adjudication, recalling cases where a tick was accepted as a valid vote by one judge but rejected by another. He believes there should be one standard to judge the validity of ballots.

Both parties are in full agreement that voter education is crucial, but say electoral reform may be needed to clarify grey areas around voter intention and rejected ballots.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com