HELENA McAllister, 104, showed up at the St. Winefride’s Secondary School in Garnett Street, Kitty, around 11:00 hours on Monday to cast her vote at this year’s Local Government Elections (LGEs).

After completing the process, the centenarian told the Guyana Chronicle: “I came to vote and because I want to vote. I asked the Lord to help me and I am here and I am satisfied with it.”

The resident of Duncan Street, Newtown, Kitty explained that she believes that the Local Government Elections are important because it helps to foster community development.

“The truth is, the persons I voted for are like my own, in the flesh and in the Lord,” she said.
She recalled fondly that at the General Elections held in 2015, she had to be lifted up the stairs of the school so she could have voted.

But this time around, the polling staff brought all she needed downstairs to her.
“I would say [the voting process] was good because I was allowed to sit in the cool and wait until someone bring [sic] down the thing for me to vote,” she said, adding: “They accommodated me well.”

Helena’s 73-year-old daughter, Ruth Audrey Cumberbatch, accompanied her mother to cast her vote.
According to Cumberbatch, “The process was extremely smooth; everything seemed to be in place, so I just went in and everything went very, very well.”

She lives with her mother in Duncan Street, and explained that it is always necessary to vote. “Voting, in this Local Government Elections is important because I live in a community, and I need to have somebody who takes an interest in the community because we have many, many needs,” she said.

Among the needs she highlighted, is poor drainage which has been an issue for many years.
“So, we would glad if we can get someone to represent us and bring some improvement to the community,” she said.