Voter roll has grown over 5% since elections
(CNS): The new electors register published on 1 January shows that the list has grown by over 1,250 voters since the election in April 2021, an increase of around 5.6%, as the Cayman Islands faces a possible referendum this year on the decriminalisation of ganja and the introduction of a national lottery. Given the length of time it takes for a voter to appear on the register, which is updated every quarter, the Elections Office is expecting to see a surge in registration over the next few months as eligible people sign up to take part in the anticipated national ballot.
Under the current system, people registering to vote this month will not appear on the electoral roll until July. A poll is unlikely before that date but to get on the register and ensure they are able to vote in a summer or autumn referendum, eligible Caymanians should sign up as soon as possible. The deadline to make the July list in time to participate in a summer poll is 1 April. But if the government chooses to have the referendum later in the year, the deadline to make the October list is 1 August.
As a result, the Elections Office is expected to engage in a voter drive during the first quarter of this year to get people who are qualified on the register before the beginning of April. “We are planning to increase messaging,” Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell told CNS. “The next registration deadline is 1 April and we plan a media blitz before then.”
The premier revealed plans for the national vote on gambling and ganja in December during the last meeting of parliament when he said the issues would be put to the people as a government-initiated referendum. This means it will pass or fail based on 50% plus one of the voter turnout, as opposed to people-initiated referendums, which require 50% plus one of the entire electorate.
Panton said the wording of the questions would be defined in a referendum bill expected to be brought to parliament in the first quarter of next year, which will also set a date for the vote. It is expected to cost around CI$1.1 million, but the government will not be campaigning to influence voters as the goal is to ensure this is a genuine popular vote.
Currently, 23,494 people are eligible to vote, according to the new registers. This represents a slight decline of around a dozen names since October’s register but a notable increase since the election. Across the constituencies, the gap between the smallest and the largest is also now quite significant. Although this constituency imbalance is less significant for a national referendum, if the trend over the last few years, especially in Bodden Town, continues, it will present an increasing issue for general elections.
In Cayman Brac East, the seat held by Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, there are just 461 voters compared to 1,646 voters in Boden Town East, the seat held by Dwayne Seymour. Across Grand Cayman, the historically small constituencies of North Side (held by Minster Jay Ebanks with 830 voters) and East End (held by Isaac Rankin with just 765) are also dwarfed by growing districts like West Bay South, where Andre Ebanks now represents 1548 voters. There are also growing inequalities between the growing districts in Bodden Town and some of the constituencies in the capital, which are barely increasing in comparison.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s report on the 2021 General Election following its ‘virtual’ mission to observe the vote found that the difference in voter numbers across Grand Cayman’s constituencies was too much in some cases and called for boundaries to be reviewed this year. The Cayman Islands Constitution calls for equality of registered voters in each constituency with the exception of the carve-out for the Sister Islands, which gets two MPs regardless of voter numbers.
Since the 2015 Elections Boundary Commission drew up the 19 single-member constituencies, the register has grown overall by more than 10%, but that has not been evenly spread. The observers found “significant differences” in the electoral districts that go well beyond the international recommended difference of no more than 15% between seats.
This will mean a number of significant changes to the existing seats, and while moving boundaries within West Bay and George Town may not have a significant impact on the communities affected, addressing the large differences between the Eastern Districts could prove more challenging and controversial, given that voters in the districts of East End and North Side have resisted any efforts to merge their constituencies.
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Redraw districts so that each district represents the same populace. Too much power for Cayman Brac as they are over represented in the legislature.
Same is true for North Side and East End.
Yup. Equal representation is necessary.
No taxation without it.
There are scant good choices in those very few districts lucky enough to host one. We must modify the Elections Law to raise the qualifications bar, eliminate criminals, deplorable, and deepen the candidate pool to any Caymanian Status holder (ex-Cabinet Grant) who can satisfy some baseline lawmaker and/or governance criteria. Being owned by developers should no longer be the sole criteria.
The likelihood of the current crop of the corrupt, bought and paid for, and just plain dumb voting to increase the pool of candidates is about the same as turkeys voting for Christmas.
Never happen unless e are all dead caymanians ie.!!
voting in Cayman should be done for 1 premier by the population and not the lazy fat drunk mps.
Waste of time. Nothing will change.
Totally agree!
See what garbage lines up for next election.
My choices last time around were Frank Cornwall or Kenny B. Needless to say, I stayed my ass home.
A couple more from the Port Authority board apparently.
Voting against will not stop gambling or consumption of ganja – it will only keep it lucrative for the dealers.
Vote yes for a step in the right direction. Prohibition is a massive failure – see the prohibition of alcohol days.
Decriminalizing means users stand to get a fine if caught, instead of going to jail and earning a lifetime criminal record disqualifying them from many careers. Recreational use still not legal. No change for illicit economy participants.
You are confusing decriminalizing with legalizing! It will still be a criminal offense you just will get a ticket and fine instead of jail time. And it won’t go on your record. All decriminalizing will do is create more customers for the drug dealers. Where will the Ganja come from ? They are not legalizing production! Someone still has to import it illegally! Drug dealers dream!
I can think of some much more important items for a referendum than getting high or gambling?
What a waste of time no wonder no one wants to vote.
Exactly. This is a colossal waste of money. I would like to vote on one man one vote. See if anyone really wants this hoopla anymore. We should all be able to choose the Premier. How about selling out all of our land to foreigners? Let’s vote on a two-year ban of that. Also, some development restrictions. Everything has to be built x amount of distance from water. We also need to mandate that government try to buy some beaches: Scott’s Dock and east of it, Tiara Beach Hotel timeshares beach, Owen’s Island and Point of Sand. Grand Cayman can add their’s. Without all of the higgling going on. Just beaches. No restaurants on the beach or people selling stuff. People don’t come to Cayman to get haggled plus they are taking away space for the locals to hang when the beach is filled with junk. And leave the Governor’s House alone.
There was already a vote on OMOV, and the Brac lost.
Let’s vote on legalizing abortion.
And common sense.
Too late when they’re already in their 20’s murdering people.
Lets vote on a higher standard of sex education and birth control.
Too bad you can’t vote. LOL
Voter registration drive? How about processing the 2 year back log of status applications? That would produce way more potential new voters than the 1250 they are celebrating.
The last thing this government wants is a bunch of wealthy, educated, professional voters they can’t buy with empty promises, cash handouts or a microwave.
Which is why we have a backlog on status applications.
Yes we will process them and deny them all had enough a ona now!
I urge young Caymanians to register to vote. I also urge them to run for office, because these dinosaurs are destroying this country.
Afraid due to the Cayman style Aparthied system as a Cayman Islands citizen/Caymanian one cannot run for elected office without having a Caymanian grand parent. Perhaps only country in commomwealth with this and the UK FCDO needs to sort this. The UK PM Rishi Sunak would not have been able to run of office if UK applied Cayman standard. PACT and PPM qre silent about this gross violation of human rights.
It is quite deliberate to protect their generation and reduce the pool of candidates.
Hey you 8:58 you don’t have to stay here you know we welcomed you with open arms and now we won’t be sorry to see you go. In fact you look better going !!
you all do have the nerves to ask about votes .take back our beach that we as caymanians been using for decades.
you sold your beach to the lowest bidder.
Along with your skyline and your environment
Not a good sign for PACT members.
Some mothers children fall down in deybhead when they were small and they are represented by the 3 👍🏾In the post. Kmt
I wish I had a gibberish to English AP. Then, I might actuallly agree with you.
It’s a good sign for UDPact if it increases their Jamaican voter base.