GENERAL and Regional elections were conducted “efficiently,” according to the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Mr Keith Lowenfield.He and the GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally, who co-hosted two news conferences yesterday to update the media, shared similar sentiments, despite several notable hiccups – the major one pertaining to allegations of multiple voting.
MULTIPLE VOTING
At least one political party, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), raised concerns of discrepancies in voting patterns.
Reports reaching the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, are that some persons turned up at polling stations to vote and were told that they had voted already. Also, there are reports that a person without an identification card was allowed to vote even though there were objections to the fact that his photograph did not match the photograph on GECOM’s folio – a detail of voters’ bio data that is used to verify identities in cases where eligible voters are not in possession of their identification cards.
A two-page document of the names of voters affected by these incidents; the polling stations where the incidents took place; the identification of polling divisions; the names of party agents where the incidents took place and names of the presiding officers at the same locations were submitted to GECOM by the Guyana Chronicle – based on interviews conducted.
Both the GECOM Chairman and the Chief Elections Officer committed to investigating the reported infractions.
Mr Lowenfield, when asked, added that if presiding officers are found to have allowed voting by persons not eligible to do so, GECOM will be guided by standard operating procedures. “Our procedures will dictate what action will be taken,” he said.
NOT POSSIBLE
However, both senior GECOM officials insisted that multiple voting is not possible, given the number of checks and balances put in place by the Commission.
Lowenfield admitted that “no system is pure,” but stressed that several layers of checks are in place to prevent such problems.
Dr Surujbally added, “I believe in my system.”
LATE START
Mr Lowenfield reported that a few polling stations opened late, but explained that this was due to circumstances beyond the control of the Commission.
Guyanese voters utilised some 2,299 polling stations, the largest number of stations ever identified in Guyana, 166 of which are private residences.
The political parties were in receipt of the list of the polling stations for the 2015 General and Regional elections and were able to appoint polling agents to observe voting by individual electors.
No more than 400 electors are assigned per polling station.
SLOW PROCESS
The question of reports that the process of voting was slow was also addressed at the news conference.
The GECOM Chairman noted that in several instances, this was due to the fact that voters turned up to vote with the de-commissioned identification cards, which were not accepted at the place of poll. As a result, voters had the choice of returning home to secure the more recently issued identification cards or swear under oath and be questioned to verify their identities and then be allowed to vote. Many opted for the latter and as such the process took a longer time.
MISDIRECTION
Allegations of voters being misdirected to polling stations where they were not assigned to vote by polling clerks and information clerks were also raised yesterday.
However, GECOM officials informed members of the media corps that this was still to be established and substantiated.
BROKEN STAMPS
Once inside the polling stations, some electors were faced with the challenge of broken stamps – a case where some of the digits on the six-digit stamp used to mark the ballot papers were broken after approximately 40 uses.
Mr Lowenfield disclosed that this was reported in Districts 2, 4 and 6. He assured that the damaged stamps were replaced and noted that the hinterland areas were supplied with adequate resources in such eventualities.
The GECOM Chairman told the news conference that once this was reported, it was corrected, and assured media operatives that about 40 ballots, on which deficiencies of the six-digit stamp were noticed and corrected with pens, will be counted.
He stated that the Commission feels “cheated” by Code International, the Canadian company from which materials have been procured for decades, and will be taking up the issue of “substandard materials” being supplied to Guyana.
WRONG BALLOTS
It was also reported by the chief election officer that at one location in District 3, a polling clerk issued “tendered ballots” to seven electors.
However, he noted that this was discovered and the electors were issued with new ballots to cast their votes.
INK
The GECOM Chairman, when asked, assured the media that the ink used in the electoral process is “good” material, after being questioned about reports that the ink was removed soon after persons cast their vote.
PROXIES DENIED
Proxy holders in Foulis, East Coast Demerara, were reportedly denied its use. This was confirmed by Mr Lowenfield who gave the assurance that this matter was being investigated.
Out of 2,939 applications, some 2,679 were issued by GECOM. District 4, which has the largest population of electors, was the area where the most proxies were issued. Some polling day staffers working with GECOM were also issued proxies, given that they were posted outside of their voting districts.
DISRESPECTFUL GECOM STAFFERS
Dr Surujbally also acknowledged reports of disrespectful behaviour by some GECOM staffers.
This problem arose less than 24 hours after the GECOM Chairman,in an address to the nation, acknowledged that the electors are GECOM’s employers. He had stressed that Election Day staffers will be deployed with the “the full understanding” that electors are GECOM’s employers. “We were given the job to manage these elections and we will not fail you,” Dr Surujbally said.
Yesterday, he made it clear that this position stands.
POLICE PRESENCE
The GECOM Chairman highlighted too that there were reports of security ranks inside polling places and mentioned West Baramita, Region 1 (Barima/ Waini) as one case in point.
On the question of security, he added that one worrying trend was the fact that party enthusiasts were outside polling stations when the voting commenced.
Earlier in the day he expressed the fear that polling stations would be “stormed” by party supporters. However, he noted that additional security measures were put in place for particular areas.
“Ballot boxes must be seen as sacrosanct,” the GECOM Chairman said.
CAMPAIGNING
Additional concerns about political parties campaigning in indirect manners were also raised, according to Dr Surujbally.
The GECOM Chairman acknowledged that while some instances, such as comments made by the leadership of some political parties, may be interpreted as campaigning, this was not the case. “I don’t think that this [comments made] will, one way or another, sway voters,” he posited.
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
Relative to a minor issue, the publication of voting trends on social media, Dr Surujbally pointed out that Guyana’s does not have laws regulating social media. Exit polls, another trend on social media, were not addressed by GECOM officials. However, GECOM in a prior statement, said: “The duty of declaring the final official results of the 2015 General and Regional Elections rests exclusively with the Guyana Elections Commission. Any other information provided by any source(s) other than GECOM must not be considered as legitimate or valid by the citizenry.
“GECOM wishes to advise the public that only official election results announced by GECOM are to be accepted. Any other claims to results would be spurious and unofficial. GECOM is also calling on all individuals and/or groups purporting to conduct exit polls and announcing their “findings” to desist from this potentially dangerous and reckless practice, since their utterings may serve to stir unrest and create further uneasiness in an environment which is already tense.
“Moreover, extant electoral laws and guidelines mandate only GECOM as the sole legal authority to announce official election results in Guyana. In addition, it must be recognised that while there may be no specific laws making exit polling an offence, there are laws pertaining to the molestation of voters entering and exiting polling stations.”
Importantly, the Commission committed to investigating all reports made by stakeholders in the electoral process, in the interest of ensuring a free and fair electoral process.

By Vanessa Narine