EXPERIENCED election official Aston Messam kept a keen eye on proceedings at the nomination centre at Ascot High School in St Catherine Southern on Monday, just as he has for the past two decades

Messam, who has been the returning officer for St Catherine Southern since being moved from De la Vega City in 2003, served as presiding officer in the cooler climes of Manchester North Western in 1976 and believes Jamaica’s electorate has matured significantly.

“Despite the violence we have on the streets (generally), if you compare what is happening now with what happened in 1980 a lot of things have changed and changed for the better. Those times it was really rough, you were afraid to leave your house,” Messam shared, reflecting on past polls.

On Monday, Nomination Day for the 63 constituencies up for grabs in the September 3 polls, Messam, who has presided over several local government and general elections since 2003, told the Jamaica Observer, “I have seen some rough elections,” while awaiting the arrival of the three candidates vying for the St Catherine Southern seat.

He, however, said his love for the electoral process, spawned from his childhood days in Manchester North Western, has helped him stay the course.

“There is always excitement. It is something I love, because when you are born in North West Manchester, you grow up in it and the sort of tribal thing is not there, everybody live good. It is something I like, sometimes they frustrate you with, like how they are supposed to reach here from 10:15 and they haven’t shown up yet, but if you know your stuff you don’t really let that get to you and we are well prepared,” he told the Observer reflectively.

That love, he said, coupled with an unbiased approach, have been his saving grace.

“The politics and the electoral process, when you are in the process you are not an activist, but you see and know everything and to stay in there long, you have to make sure that you are fair and that it is not a one-sided thing and that has guided me, to be fair,” he said emphatically.

Messam, who on Monday referred to Assistant Returning Officer Joy Howard as his trusted counterpart over the years, said he is, however, just about ready to hang up his spurs.

“I think I have done enough now; I am thinking about it (retiring),” he admitted.

On Monday, the sharing of supporters by candidates, which saw virtually the same groups being ferried from point to point to ramp up crowd support, led to almost all candidates missing the specified times for their nominations.

The lateness, which peeved electoral officers and the security forces, sparked fears of clashes between rival supporters at the various polling locations and concerns that the 2:00 pm closing time, specified by law for nominations to be complete, could have seen some candidates missing their date with destiny

However, the Electoral Office of Jamaica, at the close of day, said a total 189 candidates were nominated to contest the general election.

It said the island’s two major political parties, the People’s National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party each nominated 63 candidates to run in all the constituencies across the island, while the Jamaica Progressive Party nominated 47 candidates and the United Independents’ Congress, seven. Nine individuals were nominated to run as independents.