The local poll got off to a slow start this morning as Jamaicans trickled out to cast their ballots at polling divisions islandwide.

When the polls opened at 7:00 am, there were more election day workers in place than there were voters.

Meanwhile, there were also isolated reports of violence in the Nannyville area of Kingston and the Glendevon Division in St James.

According to the police, heavily armed gunmen, allegedly from the Top Road area, invaded neighbouring Nannyville, firing a barrage of gunshots.

No one was injured in that incident, the police said.

In the Glendevon Division in St James where tension ran high, shots were also reportedly fired.

However, deputy police superintendent, Dave Hyman who confirmed that there was a shooting incident in the community this morning, said that it was not political. According to Hyman, two relatives who had a long-standing dispute, got into an argument which ended with one shooting the other.

The injured party has been hospitalised while the accused was taken to the police station for processing.

There were also charges of voter intimidation and bribery at the Granville Division in St James.

People’s National Party (PNP) candidate Michael Troupe complained that there was voter intimidation outside the Granville All Age School gate – the entrance to one of the polling divisions.

Observer reporters assigned to cover that division also saw money exchanging hands. A PNP activist, with a stack of money openly paid voters $1,000 to vote PNP.

At Howard Cooke Primary in the parish JLP supporters attempted to enter the polling station with more than the stipulated number of persons.

The police was called to the scene and the matter was quickly brought under control.

And in Trelawny, former PNP MP Wendell “Bull Bull” Stewart, who is running as an independent, voted at about 10:58 am at the Falmouth courthouse. He came alone.

Stewart was booted from the PNP after his independent nomination. He is running for the Falmouth Division. He noted that the voting was slow but ” a slow poll favours me”.

“Based on our tallying and canvassing, I still feel very confident that when the polls are closed I will be victorious,” Stewart told the Observer.