Don’t bar COVID-19-infected from voting
Dear Editor,
I heard the Electoral Office of Jamaica executive director suggest that COVID-19 patients cannot be prevented from voting in the upcoming September 3 election — a position that I agree with.
The statement, however, is contrary to the one by the health minister and chief medical officer, and this concerns me greatly, as a Jamaican.
Under no circumstances should any Jamaican’s right to vote be taken away.
My strong recommendation to the Government is to think of solutions which could include the mailing in of ballots, mobile polling stations, or have these COVID-19-affected individuals vote on the same day when the police, soldiers, and election day workers are voting. The latter would ensure more effective management of fewer people voting. We should also remember that the health care workers are attending to these patients continuously to see to their recovery. They follow the protocols and guidelines. Let us be careful, but do not overreact.
To be in favour of preventing a Jamaican from voting is backward and taking us back to pre-1938, so forget it!
Let us put the necessary arrangements in place to facilitate those who are infected and want to exercise their franchise to vote. These measures should prevent the risk to the rest of the public. We cannot discriminate against them.
Norman W Grant
normanwashingtongrant@gmail.com