THE atmosphere was one of peace and quiet on the Essequibo Coast and in The Pomeroon, yesterday, as voters turned up in large numbers at polling stations to cast their ballots for the party of their choice. As day dawned, voters long before 6:00am gathered in front of polling stations awaiting opening of the doors to cast their ballots. Most voters in villages across  the coast and the Pomeroon took

the opportunity to go out early and cast their ballots, so as to avoid the very hot midday sun. However, as the weather got cooler in the afternoon, many  voters came out to exercise their democratic right to vote for the party of their choice.
Reports said the voter turn-out at polling stations across the Region was very high because of the large crowds that flocked polling stations. According to reports, the voting process up to around 4:30pm was conducted in a very efficient and orderly manner by GECOM staff . Voters were assisted by volunteer members of political parties who set up  small tables some 200 yards away from polling stations and assisted voters to check their names and ID numbers, so as to ensure accuracy before they entered the polling station to vote.
Reports indicate that some voters encountered difficulty in finding their names on the voters’ list. Reports said that when checks were made by volunteers, it was found that their names were left off the Original List of Electors (OLE), because they had not been registered.
The voters who turned up with their old ID cards – the green ones – said they had used it to vote at the last election and questioned why they could not use it to vote now. However, they were told that if their names were not on the voters’ list, they could not vote. The voters who were elderly people said they were very sad and disappointed that they could not vote.

Reports said some voters who showed up sick, disabled and blind were given preference over other strong, healthy voters to cast their ballots.
Young people voting for the first time were also full of excitement and happy to exercise their democratic right. One woman, Sunita Bacchus, who returned from Venezuela after many years living there said she is happy to be home in Guyana where she was born to vote as a true Guyanese for the party of her choice.

As  6:00 pm approached, the entire Essequibo Coast and the Pomeroon remained silent and calm as residents just stayed at home waiting for the results to be declared.

By Rajendra Prabhulall