A by-election can be a bag of nervousness, anxiety, and frustration, for the candidates depending on which side they are on.

But Dr Norman Dunn, who triumphed over Dr Shane Alexis in the by-election to fill the vacancy caused by the sudden death of sitting Member of Parliament Dr Winston Green in the St Mary South Eastern seat in October 2017, is confident that his colleague Pearnel Charles Jr will have no jitters heading into today’s contest in Clarendon South Eastern.

Since the 2016 General Elections, there have been five by-elections held in Jamaica to fill seats in the nation’s House of Representatives, which became vacant for varying reasons.

Today, attorney-at-law Charles Jr, 41, of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) squares off with businessman and retired trade unionist Dereck Lambert, 70, running as an independent candidate, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation last month of four-term representative Rudyard Spencer of the JLP.

The campaign has been vigorous, sometimes even tense, with the odds favouring an easy victory for the Charles Jr, after the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) decided not to offer a candidate, although Lambert has represented the party before.

But what is it like during the final 24 hours leading into a by-election, and even on the day?

Dr Dunn, won the St Mary South Eastern seat with a margin of just over 900 votes, in a constituency that, before, was seen as “marginal” by political observers.

He recently shared his mood on the day before the election, and during the early hours of by-election day with the Jamaica Observer.

“In my case, the good thing is that we have a party that is strong in organisation … the JLP is very organised,” Dr Dunn stated.

“With a by-election, a lot of the worry is taken from the candidate based on the strength of the party’s organisation. The candidate’s most important job is to be a good candidate … it makes the party’s work easier.

“The anxiety and competitiveness on the day itself, you don’t feel it as much when you have this huge apparatus behind you. You are mentally prepared for a positive outcome and you know almost to a ‘T’ how the outcome will be.

“In almost every single by-election, the JLP has won based on the strength of the machinery. You don’t really sleep the night before a by-election … because you are watching the clock, anxious to want to be able to serve the electorate.

“At a maximum, two hours sleep is what you get before by-election day, because you have to spend time fine-tuning your routine, which includes visiting polling divisions and encouraging your election day workers, and you also have to know where you are going to start and where you are going to end,” said Dr Dunn.

Praying “a lot” the night before the by-election was something that Dr Dunn indulged in, sometimes forcing his supporters into wondering whether or not he was an ordained priest. But he sees prayer as a necessary ingredient in the scheme of things.

“I am not a drinker, so you wouldn’t find me consuming alcohol beyond a taste here or there. I would also speak to persons close to me and to the campaign. In my by-election, I never felt nervous, due to the fact that I knew that I had the JLP machinery behind me… which is like a train coming at you.

“On the day, you have to make sure that you visit as many PDs [polling divisions] as possible, especially the closer ones, and speak with the crucial workers. That day you are on pure adrenaline. You might not even eat on by-election day, but you have to ensure that you hydrate yourself, yes … it’s a must that you consume a whole lot of fluid,” he said.

Emphasising that the JLP election machinery allows the candidate to be calm and confident, Dr Dunn stated that with such strong backing, it is difficult for things to go wrong on the day.

“The candidate does not get down to ‘nitty-gritty’ situations. In other words, the candidate does not micromanage, and I speak for others candidates who have been in by-election situations — people like Ann Marie Vaz, Shahine Robinson, and now Pearnel Charles Jr,” Dr Dunn said.

“It’s all hands on deck. Nothing is left to chance, and by the day progresses, we are well informed, by the hour, about the [voting] numbers,” he added.