KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) is reminding the public that electors are allowed up to three hours time off to vote on Election Day.

The reminder comes ahead of the October 30 parliamentary by-election in three constituencies, namely, St Mary South Eastern, St Andrew Southern and St Andrew South Western.

In a newspaper advertisement today, the EOJ reminded that the time off is stipulated under The Representation of the People (Leave & Symbols) Regulation of 1944.

“Subject to the provision, every employer shall permit each of his employees to be absent from work on polling day for three hours in addition to the normal meal hour.”

However, the EOJ noted that this does not apply to employees whose work on polling day commences at 10:00 am or concludes before 2:00 pm.

The by-election in St Mary South Eastern will determine whether the People’s National Party’s (PNP’s) candidate, Dr Shane Alexis or the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP’s) Dr Norman Dunn will take the constituency seat after the sudden death of Dr Winston Green in August.

In St Andrew Southern, the PNP’s Mark Golding will face Dane Dennis of the JLP in a bid to replace Dr Omar Davies, who retired as Member of Parliament earlier this year.

Meanwhile, JLP candidate for St Andrew South Western Victor Hyde has vowed to return that seat to his party, despite the constituency’s four decade-long support for the PNP.

The seat became vacant in June this year when former PNP president Portia Simpson Miller retired as Member of Parliament, and gave her support to councillor for the Norman Gardens Division in Kingston Eastern, Angela Brown Burke, in her bid to become the party’s candidate for the constituency.