VOTING in the three divisions of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller’s South West St Andrew constituency was uncharacteristically slow in today’s local government election, officials have said.

The divisions – Whitfield, Payne Land and Greenwich – all have strong support for the ruling People’s National Party, led by Simpson Miller.

“It has been very slow, in fact extremely slow,” said a senior election day official at the Whitfield All Age School, shortly after Simpson Miller cast her vote for the candidate of her choice, Eugene Kelly.

Over at polling divisions in Payne Land and Greenwich Town, the story was much the same, but this did not bother Simpson Miller.

“I expected a low voter turnout. Local government elections have always had low voter turnouts, but we are confident that we will a majority of the divisions across the island,” Simpson Miller told the Observer.

“I have been in touch with my people across the island and things are looking good for us,”she said.

Police reported no irregular activity in South West St Andrew and the streets had limited traffic.

At one polling station, officials reported a 38 per cent turnout up to noon, in a division that reported 90 per cent voter turnout at the same time during the last general election.

At another, the count was a 41 per cent show. There were no lines at all polling stations visited by the Observer.

Some PNP diehards said that they were not familiar with their councillors, but had voted because of Simpson Miller.

“Nobody no know the man who a run fi councillor, but a because a Portia mek we come vote,” one woman who patrolled with a group of orange-clad supporters said.

Unlike general election day, December 29 last year, there was no Jamaica Labour Party indoor agent at some key polling centres, like the Whitfield All Age and Greenwich All Age.