Security forces, election workers to vote Aug 21
MEMBERS of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Jamaica Defence Force and election day workers will cast their ballots on August 21, six days ahead of the general elections.
This leeway will ensure that this category of voters will be free to perform their duties come election day on August 27.
Yesterday, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) reminded members of the security forces who were not yet on the Police Military Voters’ List to visit any EOJ office by Friday to indicate whether they would like their names to be transferred to the list or remain on the National Voters’ List.
The EOJ made it clear that the police and soldiers would not be allowed to vote on August 27.
“Members of the security forces whose names are on the Police Military Voters’ List will not be able to vote as civilians on Election Day, as their names will not be on the national list,” the EOJ said in a press release.
Meanwhile, EOJ’s public education officer, Takeese Gilpin Allen, told the Observer that approximately 31,701 election day workers – 6,308 members of the constabulary and 1,393 soldiers – are expected to vote on August 21. The remainder, just under 24,000, are presiding officers, poll clerks and machine operators.
About 12,000 election day workers, approximately 6,000 of them members of the JCF, and just under 2,000 soldiers voted in the 2002 general election.
