While there was chaos and frustration at several other polling stations on New Providence during the advanced poll yesterday, it was a much smoother process for voters at Garvin Tynes Primary School yesterday.
Lines at the school stretched far and wide, as voters in St. James, Killarney and Tall Pines dashed to the polls to cast their early ballots.
The polling station saw a healthy voter-turn out and voters with ink-stained thumbs expressed satisfaction with the process despite long lines.
After casting his ballot, Prime Minister Philip Davis said he was thrilled to see so many Bahamians at the polling station and encouraged voters to remain composed and patient.
“I’m happy I’ve done it,” Davis told reporters.
“I encourage all who are here just to be patient and stay in the line.
“The lines are long, which is very encouraging to see how many are participating in this democratic process.
“I just want them to continue and be patient and once they’re inside, they’ll see that the process is very efficient.”
Though he described the voting process as positive, former Prime minister Hubert Ingraham expressed concern about recent reports of fraudulent documents and errors on the voters’ register.
“I am concerned about how large numbers of people…have got access to Bahamian documents,” Ingraham said.
“I hope it’s just incompetence as opposed to anything else.”
Former Prime Minister Perry Christie said he is not alarmed by the reports.
He noted the fact that no government has been able to secure two consecutive terms in the last 25 years — a trend he hopes the PLP can break — shows that Bahamian voters come out and make their own decisions.
“I suspect it’s going to be a major cultural record in terms of the numbers of people voting in the advanced poll and that is good for our democracy because one of the challenges the region has faced is that people are not turning up to vote,” Christie said.
“…It’s very difficult if not next to impossible to have the kind of fraud they’re talking about in our voting system here.
“It hasn’t happened before and it’s not going to happen now but it’s politics and I suppose it’s an issue that is going to be favorable to people talking about it, so they do it.
“But in the final analysis, our system is as good as could be and it still has served the Bahamian people well.”
He said, “In 25 years, no one has won a consecutive term. That doesn’t indicate any cheating at all.
“It appears to be a conscious decision of the Bahamian people.”
Change
Outside of the polls, St. James constituent Arlene Mackey said she hopes that the government elected on May 12 will bring positive changes to The Bahamas, while sharing that of all the times she has voted, she has only switched parties once.
“I’m proud to be a Bahamian, first of all,” Mackey said.
“I believe that our country can always grow and what is wrong can get right and what needs to be improved can get improved.
“I feel as though they need to guard our borders better.
“Some young people who graduating, let them come and join the defense force and the police force, but let them be Bahamians who are going to uphold the law properly and guard our waters because it’s just out of order.”
She continued, “Previous governments have not been perfect. None of them. PLP nor the FNM. I am not going to stand here and judge the PLP wrongly or judge the FNM wrongly. Both have not done things that we Bahamians feel as though should’ve gotten fixed.”
Killarney constituent Kathy Dean said she arrived at the primary school just after 7 a.m. and applauded the polling station for remaining organized.
“We started a little late but the lines were identifiable and proper security and administrators were in place,” Dean said.
“A lot of people turned out.
“I am a citizen, I live here, I have legacy for years to come and I have to protect it by letting my vote speak for me.”
Derek Smith, a resident of the Killarney constituency, said he registered for the advanced poll because he will not be in country for the general election.
“I knew who I was voting for so the process took me about 10 seconds,” Smith said.
“I’m usually more intimately involved politically, that’s why I voted, but this particular time, I’m voting in the advanced poll because I won’t be here for the election so I always vote. It’s a privilege to vote.
“I was looking forward to just voting, even if I had to go to the embassy to vote.”
In between ballot casting, a short verbal altercation arose between officials and Free National Movement (FNM) attorney Kahlil Parker, who alleged that an elderly woman claiming to be illiterate and blind attempted to allow another person to assist them.
Parker said the woman first said she could not read.
“Then they said that they had difficulty seeing out of one eye, which would not have been an acceptable reason in the circumstances and then they said to the presiding officer they were completely blind,” Parker said.
“The issue arose because those reasons were being challenged and until the challenge is resolved nothing should happen in the room because the only ballots that should be in the box are ballots that are cast in accordance with the law.”
Parker stated that the law requires anyone assisting a voter to take an oath and the voter must demonstrate a legitimate reason of physical incapacity that prevents them from voting without assistance.
He said that he objected to the vote and called the returning officer, and the elderly woman eventually agreed not to cast a vote.
