Over 21,000 registered to vote
Elections Officials at Elections Headquarters who conducted voter registration all Monday take a moment to celebrate the new estimates in the early hours of Tuesday morning (Photo by GIS)
(CNS): After a surge in registration over the last few days of the Election Office drive, more than 21,000 people are expected to be eligible to vote in the historic general election on 24 May. Supervisor of Elections Wesley Howell said that over 300 new voter registration applications were received Monday before the midnight deadline in addition to around two hundred over the weekend. The new list of registered voters will be published on 31 January, giving the public a chance to check its accuracy, and time for the Elections Office to address any errors and remove the names of voters who have died.
The number is a significant increase on the 18,492 voters who were on the election register for the 2013 general election. Not only is it the most people that have ever been registered to vote in the history of Cayman’s democracy, it also represents one of the highest percentages of the qualified segment of the population for many years. Given that well over half of Cayman’s adult residents are not entitled to vote, the new electors list has managed to attract a significant proportion of those who are qualified.
The most recent figures from the Economics and Statistics Office suggest that there are currently around 26,000 Caymanians aged over 16 years old. This means the Elections Office has done a commendable job in reaching out to local voters to sign up. Historically, Cayman has enjoyed a high turn-out of registered voters on its election days, usually in excess of 80%, which means that its first national ballot under the system of ‘one man, one vote’ could see record numbers of people taking part in the democratic process to elect their political representatives.
Although the numbers have yet to be finalised, the largest number of voters in any given constituency is in the fastest growing district of Bodden Town. Before the additional 500 voters signed up this weekend, the Elections Office said that 1,465 voters were signed up in the constituency of Bodden Town East, followed closely by Bodden Town West with 1,409. The third largest district, according to the figures provided on Thursday, was West Bay South with 1,318 voters.
Now that the window of opportunity to sign up to vote has closed, the Elections Office said the final revised voters list will be completed by 31 March and will incorporate all the verified changes and new registrations. On 1 April the Elections Office will begin issuing the new voter IDs to all voters that are on the formal list. Existing voters will have their verified details and photograph transferred on to their new cards, which they can pick up at the office on Smith Road. New registrants will need to have their photos taken before they can get their electors ID cards.
In the meantime, the Elections Office team will be turning its attention to the education campaign on the new constituencies and change to ‘one man, one vote’ to ensure that all of the more than 21,000 people now signed up to vote will understand where they should cast their ballot and the importance of their single vote.
Category: 2017 General Elections, Elections, Politics
Dpes that include the 56 loonies woting for the udp?
Obama needs a job after tomorrow…
Headline on May 26, 2017 – “Only 10,000 voters turned up at the Polls”
6.58 and don’t forget “most of those voted for the people that bribed them the most”
People of Cayman please do not vote anymore criminals back in. Vote for the new blood. Do your background checks.
Do not vote for the time or money wasters. Do not vote for the wife beaters. Do not vote for the thieves. Do not vote for the perverts. Do not vote for the pedophiles. Do not vote for the adulterers. Do not vote for the bisexual adulterers. Do not vote for the misogynists. Do not vote the drug addicts. Do not vote for the ex convicts. Do not vote for the individuals you know did something morally wrong but just hasn’t been charged yet. Do not vote for the ones that cannot take care of their own family or financial affairs.
Politicians are not meant to be the average person. They are held at an elevated standard. Why? They represent the country internationally.
Do not vote for people who would be an embarrassment to the country. We’ve done enough of that already. Let’s make a change.
Well said 9.33, trouble is excluding all in your list don’t leave a lot of choice…
Well, it appears there will be no one to vote for.
So, everyone should chip in and buy some cases of beer the day before elections and have a “we’re registered to vote but there is no one to vote for” party at McKeeva’s house.
And please bring turkey.
Democracy is a con.
The average person has no say in the ongoing running of the country.
What makes me laugh is that “intelligent” people vote every four years and then spend the rest of the time complaining.
Stop voting these idiots in and demand a change in the system instead.
Who are we going to demand to change the system?
The public doesn’t get to choose the Speaker that is charged with overseeing behavior in the LA – far too often a complicit pawn of Cabinet.
what about the majority of residents who cannot vote and who have no represntation?
10:14 They can vote “back home” and they have their representation there, where we don’t, and likewise where we also can’t vote.
look up the definition of resident.
Residents don’t vote. That is a right of citizens as is the norm worldwide.
There are many residents in other countries. They too cannot vote. Not until they become citizens.
The requirements to register as a voter have required proof of Caymanian Status (going back several elections), or reasonable original proof of Caymanian lineage.
Our “sons of the soil” born in our islands with parents and/or grandparents also born here shouldn’t be barred from voting simply because they never formally applied for Caymanian Status Certificate from Immigration (which, if they could afford the CI$250 application fee, indignities and further costs of comprehensive medical and DNA tests, certified photos, cover letters, job letters, police clearance, reference letters, and of course, the 17 page Form R22…would qualify for).
We shouldn’t infer that there are “evil Expats” out there manufacturing counterfeit Caymanian Status Certificates so they can skew our results…
Let’s stop the multi-tier citizenship nonsense with fresh leadership that will pledge to address the many absurdities in CIG, such as our Immigration liabilities and neglected HRC obligations. There are 800+ PR applications that have been suspended by this government FOR YEARS – try to imagine how those poor households feel.
https://portal.elections.ky/index.php/home/registeration-process
http://www.immigration.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/ver-23/immhome/help/forms/rtbc/R22%20-RIGHTTOBECAYMANIAN%20-%20current.pdf
To CNS: What information exactly are they publishing? I don’t need my business out there for all of Cayman to see. My address, DOB, photo, phone # etc should not be available to the public.If that’s what they plan to do I want my name off!!
CNS: There are several Ask Auntie questions that you may find relevant.
Concerned that electoral roll contains addresses
Why does electoral roll include occupation?
Wants to be removed from register of electors
The voters list includes full name, physical address and occupation, as well as where that person will vote. If you want to see what information is published about voters, go to the Elections Office website here. Note that this has not yet been updated and therefore the old polling districts and not the new constituencies are shown.
you do not understand the law. Everyone who is Caymanian has status. If you do not have status, you are not Caymanian. No-one is suggesting that Caymanians have to have a status certificate, only that they be Caymanian.
Those that have not filed an Immigration R22 “Right to be a Caymanian” upon reaching the age of 18, and been certified as “Caymanian” are indeed allowed to register to vote with the Elections office for the next show in 2021. There was a comment earlier that implied that folks were somehow able to be added to the register without proof of lineage or Status. That’s simply not the case.
Proof of lineage and proof of status are not the same. The constitution requires status, even if acquired by lineage.
Even if those born in Cayman to Cayman-born parents or Cayman-born Grandparents are not Caymanian in your book, they are in the eyes of the Elections Office. Take it up with them.
My eyes and the elections office eyes are both irrelevant. Immigration’s eyes are all that matters. What do they say?
what is with this “we got this many more people to vote”
Does it matter? 20k 21K, will this entirely upset the balance of the election?
Not really sure why this numbers game is making headlines. Might as well say “mrs so and so’s cat ran away” and make that a major headline too. Cause it’s about as important.
Yes, it does matter to whomever cares if it matters. The more people we have register, the greater the possibility of citizen going out to cast their vote & exercising their democratic right. Sitting on the side line and doing nothing won’t get us anywhere.
CIG is trying to respond to criticism on the percentage of adults resident in the Cayman Islands and paying the costs of government versus the percentage with the vote and an ability to influence how that money is spent. Lets hope the same pressure to increase registered numbers doesn’t translate into a less than enthusiastic review of those on the list that should be ineligible. Its interesting that the Ask Auntie question on what protections there were with young voter registration to deal with the known problems with the loss of Caymanian status at 18 if a continuation grant was not made had been addressed has gone unanswered, as has the concerns raised about “ghost” Caymanians.
When many of our 2nd and 3rd tier party sympathizers have been elected by a margin of only a couple dozen votes, then yeah, in some districts another 50 or 500 voters could matter quite a lot, especially when only one vote can be cast.
who cares when they elect the likes of mac, whogene, kurt, ozzie, bernie, tara, ezzard , arden…. ……zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
#jokedemocracy
Tara is really running again? Why? Oh why?
Ppm and udp going lose this election independent candidate going win 12 seat forum government
Alden going lose his seat this election sound so
People want see new primer not Alden not mac
UDP morphed into CDP after vote of no confidence 4 yrs ago. #caymanamnesia #nolongeracrediblethreat
#partyofone
Can we safely assume that immigration will accept a name on the roll as evidence that the person is Caymanian?
No. It is possible to be entitled to vote and not have Caymanian status. The requirements under the elections law and immigration law are different.
Please confirm where in the election law it says a non caymanian can vote?
They are relaying that the “Caymanian Status Certificate” from the Department of Immigration is not a requirement to register to vote. It is quite possible (and common) to be a “born Caymanian” and not have applied for the formal Status certificate (which is an expensive, time consuming, soul-sucking process that may not improve your current position in life). Immigration has not certified these people as “Caymanians”, whereas everyone else, and common sense, would dictate otherwise.
“If you are CAYMANIAN BORN AND HAVE CAYMANIAN PARENT/S OR GRANDPARENT then you will need to submit the following:
1) Birth Certificate of applicant, if born in the Islands, and
2) Birth Certificate of one of his parents or grandparents that was born in the Islands
3) Photo ID: Passport or Drivers License”
Ummm, except none of those documents by themselves is any evidence that a person is a born Caymanian.
And what if you are Caymanian born and do not have a Caymanian parent or grandparent?
If you are born Caymanian and do not have a Caymanian parent or grandparent, and haven’t applied to Immigration with a form R22 by the age of 18, you are an expat. If you have Caymanian parents or grandparents and haven’t applied to Immigration with a form R22 by 18, then you are a “ghost Caymanian”, and should probably start jumping through the hoops. This is the bureaucracy that is Immigration. If you ask me, Elections Office has it right.
Fine. But if the elections office is right, then immigration is wrong.
If you are a born Caymanian you do not have to apply for continuation to remain Caymanian past age 18. Form R22 is not relevant.
Agraid you do if you want employment in the private sector. Why should an employer have the burden of proof?
The better question would be whether the register will ensure that Immigration agrees that those on the roll are Caymanian!
It does not. Accordingly, we have a problem.
Great. Now how can we tell if the people who have been registered are Caymanian?
Thats what your worried about?
Yes. There may be significant numbers of non Caymanians on the roll. If so, and if their number exceeds the margin of victory, the election may be invalid. The result would be a constitutional crisis and require the temporary loss of our democracy, so yes dammit, that is what I am worried about!
Kindly explain how you think “non-Caymanians” (ie those without proof of status or proof of lineage) qualified for the roll.
The requirements to demonstrate you are Caymanian for the purposes of registering to vote appear less onerous than the requirements set by immigration to prove you are Caymanian.
GOOD BYE PPM!!!! ??????????
9:15 sorry, we are not so easily brainwashed and swept along with the fake momentum of your UDP propaganda. Seek instead, and always, for those whose heart and interests are SINCERELY rooted in, and loyal to, these Cayman Islands and its people, and vote accordingly. Those persons with other agendas- evidenced by past history, present practices and/or future promises- avoid. Your intelligent and prayerful vote has the power to make or break our Country! Use it wisely.
Well how about…..goodbye ppm and udp!!!!!
Independents come on down!!!!