OCHO RIOS, St Ann — There seemed to have been little enthusiasm among voters in several constituencies in St Ann and St Mary during the national polls yesterday where voter turnout was moderate.

Voting progressed smoothly at several polling stations across the parishes, even as some electors complained bitterly about the extended period they had to wait before they could cast their votes.

“This system cannot work, you have to wait too long to vote, they shouldn’t have people with ID voting at the same place as people without ID because that hold up the process,” argued a voter at Ocho Rios Primary School in North East St Ann.

Several voters also complained about being disenfranchised because their names could not be found on the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) voting list, although they had been issued national voter identification cards.

“I flew in from the US to vote and although I have my ID and my name is on the Election Day workers’ list, my name cannot be found on the EOJ’s list and it’s not in the black book either,” a voter at Runaway Bay All-Age School in North West St Ann complained to the Observer.

The voter, a retired policeman, said prior to yesterday’s polls, he also made checks at the post office and on the EOJ’s voter query list on the Internet and that his information, including the polling station where he was slated to vote, were found at both locations.

“I really don’t understand what’s happening. They said once my name is not on the list that the EOJ representative has inside the polling station I can’t vote,” the disappointed elector explained.

He was one of several electors in both parishes who complained that they were not allowed to vote because their names did not appear on the voters’ list or their votes were moved to another polling station without any notification.

“This is where I always vote and they can’t find my name, so I don’t know what’s going to happen,” an elector who identified herself as Marjorie at Annotto Bay Primary School in South East St Mary told the Observer yesterday.

Candidates for both the People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) spent most of yesterday ensuring that electors were transported from every nook and cranny of the constituency to the different polling stations.

“We are in good spirit, everything is progressing steadily. I am just trying to bring out my supporters and ensure that we get out all our votes,” the PNP candidate for North West St Ann, Dayton Campbell, told the Observer.

Campbell said he was confident of victory despite what he said were reports of vote-buying by his JLP opponent Othniel Lawrence.

However, Lawrence denied Campbell’s claim and said his hard work and love and appreciation from the constituents would ensure that his margin of victory would be increased by about 1,500 votes.

“I told him a few weeks ago that come the 29th of December, politically speaking, all trespassers will be prosecuted… he must absorb it (defeat) and understand that hard work pays off,” a confident Lawrence said.

Over in South East St Mary, the PNP’s Winston Green also accused his opponent Richard Creary of vote-buying, but said that would steal his victory.

“The celebration party is being planned and we not putting it off,” Green told the Observer, pointing out that his supporters across the constituency were also confident of victory.

There were no reports of any major violent incidents from members of the security forces who were out in their numbers.