Every vote will count in 2017, says Alden
Premier Alden McLaughline addresses a PPM meeting with (L-R) Roy McTaggart, Joey Hew, Marco Archer and Kurt Tibbetts
(CNS): Talking to the party faithful in George Town Wednesday, the premier said that the PPM will be checking the legitimacy and accuracy of the voter list when the Elections Office publishes the register of electors ahead of the 2017 vote. Alden McLaughlin told a Progressive party meeting in Prospect that with the move to much smaller single member constituencies, every vote in every seat will count and they are keen to ensure all voters are living where they say they are.
During the branch membership meeting last night, he praised the work of the electoral boundary commissioners, who, he said, had not only done a great job ensuring equality in the number of voters in each of the new 19 voting districts but had also created a balance in the demographics of each constituency He said they had avoided the danger of creating seats that are made up purely of wealthy elites or socially deprived neighbourhoods.
But with much smaller electoral districts comes the issue of a much closer battle for the candidates, and the premier said the PPM would challenge the voters lists if they felt there were people registered to vote in a certain constituency when they were living in a completely different one. He said that in 2017 the integrity of the register would be far more important than in the past, when there were thousands of voters in much larger geographical areas.
He said that the party would be working hard to help voters understand the new system and the fact that they only have one vote and can only vote for the candidates running in the constituency where they live.
McLaughlin gave little away about who in his current team will be running where. He has made it clear, however, that he has his eyes on George Town central, where he is likely to face several challengers, including his own former political assistant, Kenneth Bryan, the only contender to formally declare his hand in the capital.
It is understood that former UDP social affairs minister Frank McField will also run in that seat as an independent, but requests by CNS for confirmation on this have remained unanswered.
McLaughlin told CNS that the Progressives are now in the process or recruiting potential candidates for their 2017 team, though he said he did not expect to run candidates in every single seat. But with his long-time political mentor and founding member of the PPM, Kurt Tibbetts, stepping out of the political arena in the capital, McLaughlin will need to find new fresh but strong candidates to ensure he retains control of parliament to complete the party’s ambitious political programme set out in the 2013 election campaign.
He said he expected that the PPM would not reveal its full team and the constituencies where each candidate will stand until after the national party conference, which will be a few weeks before nomination day. The PPM has a constituted process for selecting and nominating candidates, so while each of the incumbents may have an idea where they want to run, if there are clashes among the membership over this, there is an internal process for selection.
During Wednesday night’s meeting Wesley Howell, the supervisor of elections, gave a presentation about the new election landscape and the work of the office. His team of around 200 enumerators is currently going door-to door in the capital with plans to visit all 16,000 homes in George Town to encourage those who are entitled to vote to register if they are not already on the voters list and to make sure that voters are registered in the correct constituency.
Howell explained that while voters must live in the new single member constituency where they live, the candidates who will stand for election do not have to live within the constituency boundary where they choose to run. Those who nominate them, however, must be registered to vote in that constituency. The elections supervisor said that there would be a nomination office on Nomination Day in all 19 seats to avoid confusion.
It is apparent that the question of who is running in which constituency will have a very significant impact because for the first time opposing candidates in each seat will be facing off head to head. Who opposes whom and where will be more important than ever before and candidates may not declare their exact choice of seat until late in the game.
While candidates are going to declare which district they may choose, such as George Town, West Bay or the Sister Islands, which of the constituencies they opt for may be more of a tactical decision, depending on where they believe they have the most support.
Candidates standing on independent tickets who are running for the first time may well wait to see who else is declaring where before they commit to a constituency, meaning the voters may have no idea who will be on the list of candidates they must choose from in their constituencies until 29 March – Nomination Day.
While voters who plan to back one of the two parties will be clear that whoever is fielded in their electoral district for either the PPM or the C/UDP will be who they chose, voters looking to support independents, specific candidates or remain entirely undecided may have much less time to decide than in previous years.
Category: 2017 General Elections, Elections, Politics
Alden I certainly hope you count every vote.
We had an “election educator” from an incorrect voting district canvas our 47 unit complex on two separate days, including today, a national holiday – not realizing at any point during those 94 door knocks that they were well over the unchanged historical district line. How’s that for money well spent?
If there are any voters (including election educators) that can’t figure out the new (or unchanged historical) district lines or how to download the forms from the website like a grownup, then they ought to be disqualified from the register because they clearly lack sufficient “mental capacity” to cast their vote. #irony #averylowbar
Seven months to go. It would be useful to know – now – who is running for each seat, and whether they represent a party or not, so we as voters can analyse what they stand for, if anything. How can I make an informed choice, if the candidates aren’t announced, and don’t offer information. But maybe I’m just fooling myself, expecting honest and workmanlike candidates…so here’s hoping that I will be pleasantly surprised.
Shouldn’t every vote in every election count?
Can we afford a New MLA position and a new Minister+Ministry in May 2017?
19 Districts = greed and corruption. The handouts must stop (and the door needs to swing both ways so we need to STOP relying on Govt.) We need less government not more. Better middle class means living wage, jobs for locals, and more immigration enforcement. Education needs to step up all the way to University. We cannot fight crime with a lower class and young people in gangs.
Hello,
Just a piece of reality for the old guards of the LA.
Times are changing, here and everywhere. Just like in the US, U.K. and other parts of the world, people are sick of career politicians who continue to milk the system for every dollar they can get at the people’s expense.
Just as Cayman has always done, we follow fashion and right now the fashion is to dump the ole boys and put fresh blood in the houses. No longer are people content with the tradition, heritage or whatever excuse is used to elect these non performing persons. Fresh faces, new ideas, less corruption. More listening to people, less special interests groups.
I predict this next election will see a change of the ole boy network because people are not as simple as they used to be. No longer can canadates, special interest groups or their reps, go around and offer 100 ci, fridges, washers, dryers, stoves, a load of fill. Those days are done.
Change is coming wether you want to except it or not. It will happen. We have already seen some of it. I am changing who I vote for. So is a lot of other people.
We are sick of people who are placed, election after election, to represent us and do the work required and all we get is childish bickering, rantings and pocket lining that has been going on without remorse.
So you believe those that in past years were prepared to sell their vote are now going to come over all moral and insist on proper representation? Yeah, right. In fact, with the constituencies so much smaller, the risk of vote buying is way greater, not less.
No, I think the poster was implying that strong, honest independents have more than a fighting chance.
What you think all these people from Grand Cayman are going over to the Brac for? To receive the hand outs.
I hate to say this but it is the true, Alden will not win his seat next election if kurt don’t run. And according to the article, KURT is NOT running.
(McLaughlin told CNS that the Progressives are now in the process or recruiting potential candidates for their 2017 team, though he said he did not expect to run candidates in every single seat. But with his long-time political mentor and founding member of the PPM, Kurt Tibbetts, stepping out of the political arena in the capital)
Not only alden but the whole party (excluding Marco) is at risk of loosing.
Other than sellout to DART at every instance and continue the UDP policies they fought against the PPM have done nothing to improve unemployment (the Xmas clean program proves that),
Education and training for Caymanians and costs of doing business (the trade and business law) will ruin Caymanian business.
Not to mention Immigration which will end us costing us millions.
Trade and business has an incentive program right now. That is to encourage businesses and entrepreneurs.
What needs work is the duty fees. Lower that and you will see loads of people opening up businesses.
If Dart governed this country we would all be a lot better off, no cronyism, no corruption, no waste of public funds and no Mt Trashmore.
And no island for the people.
PPM represent the rich people regular people are forgotten and continue to suffer everyday. All of them except Marco need to go. Tell us what has Alden, Kirk Osborne Wayne Joey Roy done to help the people? Nothing they have forgotten us because they do not care!
I agree .but Marco need go too
I hope the lose all them and Marco
Love the headline-of course if they didn’t count every vote it would technically be electoral fraud
The government’s manipulation techniques are still at work I see…
Typical PPM
Can CI Govt. explain why personal data is on the elections website…which is contrary to the data protection bill tabled in the LA this year. Many folks refuse to register to vote because of this.
if its a bill then is not enacted into law and therefore cannot be enforced
Thank you very much for pointing this out. I asked to have it removed years ago and nothing happened.
How is flipping districts not seen as gaming the system? All candidates and the district seat they intend to contest should be locked in at nomination, or the process becomes a joke.
2.20pm Looks like you did not read the entire article. It says that we probably won’t know who is running where (especially party members) before Nomination Day. After that day they will be locked in to run in the district they were nominated for.
Is Kurt Tibbetts running? If not ppm particularly Alden Marco Wayne Ozzie Roy Joey are screwed
Joey Who?
KT has to run again. Joey Who is Lenny’s boy. Nobody knows what he has done as a MLA but make up a number riding KT’s coat tails.
PPM want one man one vote, it will haunt them. Why you think Kurt not running.
Joey who and Kurt who??
Joey Hew*
Joey, what a good life, got into office just because on a ticket, did nothing to help others and can now collect pension for life for being there to say ‘yes’ and travel the world. Lord help us and people like him stay out of politics
Joey Who has done less in GT than Whogene in WB
That’s high praise indeed.
No, Jo Hu, the man no one has seen.
Oh you can see Joey’s wealthy smiling face at all the fancy events, but as for politician- he was awful. Nice guy, but not a man of the people or able to roll up his sleeves to do anything.
You are correct. Joey has done nothing. I also think that pension for life should be removed if they have only done one term. That should be for two terms minimum and only if they have accomplished something. Seat warmers shouldn’t get anything. That’s where the government money drain is coming from.
Guess he’s not ignorant enough for you or he didn’t give you something?
He is looking out for his business interests just like the others collecting a mla salary
Alden. Give me a cabinet status grant nah? I have been here much longer than the last two you gave it to, and have contributed a lot more than at least one of them! Then my vote can count!
Neither Alden nor McKeeva should EVER be responsible for leading these islands again.
Failure should never be rewarded.
Please, people of the Cayman Islands, raise up new, honest and decent leaders.
Drain the Swamp
Cayman 2017
Interesting comment. It seems to many that Alden has been successful so that should be rewarded. I am sure you are being less than objective while you wiggle around in your swamp.
Seems like you are happy with yours.
You have to understand this is another example that there is little if any difference between the PPM and the UDP(CDP). Another example of a trick they both use to get votes.
You probably don’t read newspapers that use big words 11.19, but one of them reported this morning that Trump is not draining the swamp as he promised but using the same people from that swamp, even though they have gazillions more people than us to choose from. So despite you repeating this with tedious regularity it just ain’t going to happen…
19 voting districts……………..WTF!?!
24 miles of an island? 19 districts!!!!
You just can’t make this stuff up!
And don’t forget the over-representation of the welfare programme that is the Lesser Caymans.
Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are welfare states
Thats why Moses elected all the time he should go worthless MLa