THE VALLEY, Anguilla, (CMC) — Selected groups and seniors are casting ballots on Tuesday ahead of the general electorate on Wednesday, as Anguillans vote for a new government in this British Overseas Territory (BOT).

The polls will be the fourth to be held in BOTs within four months after the voters in Montserrat in November returned Premier Reuben Meade to office after he had returned from a 10-year hiatus.

Supervisor of Elections, Rodney Rey, said that people who applied and received advance voter cards on Monday, will not be allowed to cast ballots on Tuesday.

“Late registration is not permitted under section 63 (2) of the Election Act 219 as amended. However, persons who applied to be registered on Monday the 24th 2025, will have the right to vote on General Elections day, Wednesday, February 20, 2025,” Rey said in a statement.

He said anyone who registered between January 29 and February 10 this year for advance voting “are not affected and can still vote early on Tuesday” apologising “for any confusion and inconvenience this change will cause”.

An estimated 12,432 registered voters are eligible to vote in the election here where 34 candidates are vying for 11 of the 13 seats in the House of Assembly. The other two seats are reserved for non-elected members.

The ruling Anguilla Progressive Movement (APM) of Premier Ellis L Webster is facing a challenge from the Anguilla United Front (AUF) led by Opposition Leader Cora Richardson-Hodge.

The Anguilla Reliable Team (ART) as well as five independent candidates, namely Palmavon Webster, Avenella Griffith, Keith Fabian, Yusuf Abdul Ali and Lanny Hobson, have also thrown their hats into the ring.

In Anguilla, the 11 seats in the Parliament up for grabs are determined by direct voting. Seven members are elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting.

The other four seats are assigned to ‘at-large’ candidates elected from the entire island by plurality at-large voting.

Voters may choose up to four candidates for the at-large seats. Seven seats are needed for a majority.

During the campaign leading up to the election, the main issues were the economy, particularly the controversial Goods and Services Tax (GST), management of Anguilla’s hugely successful artificial intelligence domain name, tourism, cost of living and concerns about crimes.

Electoral officials said that voter Identification cards have been introduced in order to speed up the voting process on election day.