ALTHOUGH voters in the Tobago West constituency reported a generally smooth process at the polls on April 28, one candidate and an election agent had some concerns.
Certica Williams-Orr, election agent for Tobago People’s Party (TPP) Tobago West candidate Joel Sampson, complained that sub-agents were being denied entry at polling stations.
"Now the sub-agents are those who would go in for a short period to relieve a polling agent. So the returning officer for Tobago West has to be informed at least five days before polling day of the appointment of all the sub-agents," Williams-Orr told reporters outside of the Montgomery Government Primary School in Bethel.
"The polling agents come in the same day with their letter of appointment and declaration of secrecy. So they have no problems with that. But the sub-polling agents, those who just want to go in to do a quick relief and so on, those were being denied entry."
Williams-Orr said the polling agents would usually go into the stations with their ID and declaration of secrecy because the returning officer would have already been aware of the appointment.
She said she found the situation strange.
"So I called the returning officer and apparently the presiding officers were not informed of the appointment of the sub-agents."
Williams-Orr said polling stations at Bishop’s High School, Glen Road, Canaan and Carnbee had the same problem.
She said she was told that a broadcast would be done to address the issue.
"If it was done, it did not reach the full audience because the presiding officer at St Patrick’s said to me she was not informed. But she contacted him by phone and we got it sorted out.
"It’s really frustrating because you are being denied, someone sitting inside to mind your business."
Patriotic Front’s Tobago West candidate Aretha Clarke, a social worker, complained about the absence of wheelchairs at polling stations for people with disabilities.
"I am a little concerned about persons with disabilities because I realise that most of the divisions don’t have any wheelchairs. That is one of my major concerns because if you are looking to have a higher voter turnout and persons with disabilities cannot access the building properly, then that is a serious challenge," she told reporters after voting at the Lambeau Anglican School.
Clarke, a first-timer in the election race, said the process was smooth.
"I got there at 9 am and I was consecutive number 92. So the process was quite smooth."
She said she was not nervous.
"I often say it is like an ordinary exam, what you put in is what you get back out."
Clarke also said she hoped the island would have a high voter turnout.
"I am hoping that the 53.3 per cent from the last election, we bring that to 75 per cent this time. That is what I am looking forward to seeing."
PNM Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, seeking her third consecutive term in office, responded to Clarke’s concerns about the absence of wheelchairs at polling stations.
Referring specifically to the Montgomery Government School, where she voted at around 12.15 pm, Cudjoe-Lewis said there were different access points.
"It depends on where they take you. There are options," she said.
Cudjoe-Lewis said wheelchair access at polling stations has been a priority.
"This is my third time running and it is usually part of our strategy to get wheelchairs.
"I have never encountered a situation where we are depending on the polling station for the wheelchairs.
"The practice has always been, based on my knowledge and my experience, to get wheelchairs in your camp."
She also responded to a complaint from a female voter who showed up at Montgomery Government School but was told she had to vote at another polling station.
Cudjoe-Lewis said this should not have been the case because the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has been proactive in ensuring that the voters’ list was updated.
"I must commend the EBC because they made the registry accessible and it was virtual. So when you meet somebody as you walk, if they were unsure, they were able to pull out their cell phone, ask for the first name, last name, month of birth and year of birth and we could tell you exactly where you have to go to vote. And that is what we have been doing as we walk from house to house. So I haven’t encountered any situation like that."
Asked about her voting process, she said, "It was very smooth. It didn’t take me too long. I didn’t see a line. I went with my sisters today. I was consecutive number 82. So it was quite smooth for me."
Cudjoe-Lewis said she did not anticipate any challenges.
"I think everything has been quite smooth. This is nothing new for us so we made the necessary preparation. I have a very new polling agent. He is very young but he took his time, he studied and he has been in constant communication with his RO (Returning Officer) so at the end of the day I think that all will be well."
Earlier, TPP’s Tobago West candidate Joel Sampson, who voted at the Bon Accord Government Primary School around 8.10 am, told reporters the process was hassle-free.
He said he got a good night’s rest.
"I got up feeling in a good spirit. I prayed to the Almighty and I started my day."
Asked if he felt confident, Sampson said, "I am always confident."
Innovative Democratic Alliance Tobago West candidate Kaye Trotman, who was accompanied by her mother, Stephanie, also voted at the school.
She, too, experienced no hiccups.
"It was a relatively easy, straightforward and quick process. So I have dipped my finger," she said.
Trotman added, "I am feeling good and I would like to say that any victory that comes out of this, I personally attribute it to God.
Former secretary of education Huey Cadette said he spotted Caricom observers interacting with the staff at the Bon Accord school polling station.
He said the process reflected the fact that democracy was at work.
Nine candidates, including an independent, are contesting the Tobago West seat.
