EOJ submits $41-m budget for upcoming by-elections
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) says it has submitted a $41-million budget to the Government for conducting the March 5 by-elections for both the parliamentary seat of St Andrew North West and the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation division of Norman Gardens.
Of the budget submitted to the Ministry of Finance on Monday, $26.8 million has been estimated for the election in St Andrew North West, while $13.9 million has been apportioned for the Norman Gardens Division, EOJ said in a release this afternoon.
Nomination Day is set for next Monday, February 12 between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm at the Pembroke Hall Community Centre for the St Andrew North West constituency and noon to 2:00 pm at the Windward Road Primary and Junior High School for the Norman Gardens Division.
Candidate and former Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Senator Ambassador Nigel Clarke will be going up against the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Keisha Hayle, who is principal of Padmore Primary School in the said constituency.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Lewis will represent the PNP in Norman Gardens, which had been represented by former Mayor Brown Burke prior to her election to represent South West St Andrew in Parliament. It is still not certain who the JLP will put forward to contest the seat.
Candidates are required to fill out a nomination form signed by any ten or more electors registered to vote in St Andrew North Western; six electors or more registered to vote in the Norman Gardens division; and pay the nomination fee of $3,000.
The EOJ said a total of 112 polling stations across 21 voting locations will be used in St Andrew North West and 52 polling stations across 12 locations will be used in the Norman Gardens Division.
A total of 420 Election Day workers will be required to conduct both elections; 285 in St Andrew North Western and 135 in Norman Gardens. The workers will be trained to use the Electronic Voter Identification System (EVIS), which will be used to identify electors in both elections, EOJ added.
Based on the November 30, 2017 voters’ list, which will be used for the elections, there are 13,517 registered voters in the Norman Gardens Division and 30,216 in the St Andrew North West constituency.
