Voters now have to face the presiding officer and the polling clerk when they go to put their “x” in the upcoming May 24 general elections.
This was revealed by former deputy chairman of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Dame Billie Miller while speaking in a panel discussion at the Radisson Aquatica Resort.
“The commission has new equipment, we have new ways of doing things. This old time thing about a voter going into polling station and you are facing the wall to cast a vote is over. This is when ladies would go into their brassiere and gents would go into their BVDs to take out a camera.
“Not only phones with cameras, watches with cameras, anything you have on your person has to be placed in the basket. We have turned the polling booth around so that the voter is facing the presiding officer and polling clerk next to him. They cannot see where you are marking your x. Polling clerks are now well placed so that they can have an eye,” she said.
Dame Billie also warned Barbados Labour Party candidates that they should have cleaned up their electoral list by this time.
She warned that the next list they are going to see is the list for election day.
“I hope that you are not coming with a whole lot of changes of addresses and those kinds of things. It takes time. Registering officers have to go out in the constituency and investigate. At the same time they are preparing polling stations and other work that they have to do to be ready for the election day. Those people who are coming on to the list for the first time are going to get preference,” she said.
Dame Billie told the candidates that the Electoral and Boundaries Commission had done a lot to clean up the lists as quickly as possible. (NC)
