ST JAMES, Jamaica — Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for St James Central Heroy Clarke is convinced some people who turned out early to vote became frustrated by the long wait and left without exercising their democratic right. He told Observer Online that at some polling divisions within the constituency, people are told to wait outside the gates, where there is no shelter.

“The morning session has been going very well but what I suspect though is that many of the persons who wanted to vote first and go to work are being frustrated,” he said.

“One of the thing is that the Electoral Office [of Jamaica] personnel are not adhering to the laws as set out by The Representation of the People Act (ROPA) because they are keeping the people out on the roadway, in which that should not be so,” he declared.
According to Clarke, under the legislation, while party workers are required to remain a certain distance from polling centres, that does not apply to voters.

He believes the lack of shelter combined with the long wait times has been a turnoff for some.

“Persons have come to the polling station and they have waited for some time and they have been frustrated and are very agitated about the situation and have left,” Clarke said.

There have been heavy complaints about polling centres in the Farm Heights and Green Pond sections of the constituency.