A NUMBER of private residences will be utilised as polling stations during this year’s Local Government Elections (LGEs), Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield has disclosed.
He said investigations will first be conducted to ascertain the level of political exposure of the owners of the residences.

Lowenfield made the disclosure at a news conference on Friday. “The reason for this is that constituency elections must be held in the constituency. Kaneville is a constituency, for instance; Kaneville has 1,500 or there about electors in the constituency [but] Kaneville doesn’t have a public building or public location. It means therefore, and if our limits of electors per polling stations stays at 400 or 450, we will have to find in Kanville private residences to be used as polling stations and not only for that constituency but for other constituencies where there are no public places for GECOM to use,” Lowenfield explained.
There have always been concerns about whether the owners of the private residences may have sympathy with a particular party but Lowenfield said that measures are being taken to address the concerns. “I’m aware that they’re [the Commissioners] doing their own investigations for determination as to whether this resident belongs to or is an active member of a party,” he said.

He also added that the use of private residences in some areas may very well result in increased expenditures on GECOM’s part.

Providing other updates, the CEO said that out of 596 constituencies countrywide, a total of 174 will be no-contest, meaning that only one party had submitted its list there on Nomination Day.

Meanwhile, the number of electors intended for the 2018 elections based on GECOM’s official list of voters total 573,923, while polling stations are likely to total 1,684. Speaking about other materials required for the day, Lowenfield updated: “We have a team of commissioners putting together the ballots that are required for elections day. They should be returning shortly with our ballots and statements of polls and tally sheets etcetera.”
Also, GECOM will soon commence training of disciplined services ranks including police officers, army ranks and prison officers so that they can thoroughly grasp the process guiding their voting process. At the same time, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward stated that GECOM, by next week, will commence a public education programme focused on LGEs, which will also include a social media campaign.

The remaining dates leading up to the November 12, 2018 election day deadline are: October 11- deadlines for local observers to apply; October 21- closing date for appointment of election agents; November 2- notice of poll; November 5- closing date for application for appointment of proxy and November 5- closing date of cancellation of appointment of proxy.