KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) has denied that ballot boxes from Thursday’s general election have been tampered with, thrown away or are missing.

According to Director of Elections Orrette Fisher, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) and every returning officer must account for “every single ballot box and the materials issued to each polling station”.

Fisher admitted that he had heard the rumours of missing ballot boxes, but he assured journalists at a press briefing at the ECJ’s head office, Red Hills Road, St Andrew, this morning, that there was no truth to them.

“The report (from the returning officer) is given on a box by box basis and so any box that is missing would be known on the night of the poll. Boxes are couriered by supervisors accompanied by party agents and so the parties would also be aware of any missing box,” Fisher stated.

“The returning officer must also have in his possession, under lock and key and guarded by the security forces, every box inside the election before commencing the final count,” he added.

Balford Henry