Elections Office taking post and mobile vote requests
(CNS): The Elections Office has confirmed that it is already accepting applications from registered voters for both postal ballots and mobile voting for people who will not be able to attend the polls in person on Referendum Day. Since government has selected 19 December for the historic people’s vote on whether or not it should press ahead with the cruise berthing project, it is anticipated that many voters will be away or working and will need to vote early or by mail.
Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell said that postal ballots will not begin to be sent out until after the Referendum Bill is passed in the Legislative Assembly. He explained that the bill needs to be assented to and gazetted into law, when the referendum date is formally published, before that can happen.
While government published the bill last week, starting the 21-day countdown, a date for the legislation to be put before parliament has not yet been set.
According to the Elections Office website, postal voting is available to voters who will be, or likely to be, off-island on Referendum Polling Day. Applicants will need to complete Form B application, which can be downloaded on the website, or collected from the Elections Office. The application can be submitted via email or hand delivered to the Elections Office at, 150 Smith Road Centre, 2nd Floor, George Town.
After the referendum date is formally announced, the returning officer for the respective electoral district will send the ballot paper documents to the address provided on the form. Applications will be disregarded if received by the office less than 12 days before Referendum Day.
Voters who will be working or who cannot physically make it to the polls on Referendum Day can apply for mobile voting using Form C. Elections Office polling staff will visit you in person, or you will be able to vote before polling day at an early voting station. The days for mobile and early voting will be published nearer to Referendum Day, officials said.
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Category: Politics
I would not trust the postal ballot system. It has been tampered with on many elections.
Although the Elections Office would prefer you email the form, they do not give their email address either on the form OR their own article about the form. Are they really serious about enabling people to vote?
It’s info@elections.ky
Nope. My husband dropped off the form today and it is: office@elections.ky. Remember to bring proof of payment for being off island
Proof of payment? What is that for? Do we have to pay for the courier fees ourselves?
Stop wasting your time. The Piers will be built. If not now when. Protect my children livelihood build the Piers.
The government is promising lower income families that they will have more money if the piers are built, and scaring them into thinking that they will lose jobs if the pier isn’t built. Don’t fall for it.
Government- govern, to control. Ment, related to the mind. Mind control!
Your children’s livelihood will destroyed because of the port. I already have difficulty bringing friends to Cayman because the diving isn’t what it used to be. Most of it is dead and we never had large animals to look at. The large beautiful colourful coral is all black now and the schools of fish are few and far between.
The dock will be the final nail in the coffin for us. We are an expensive country and should provide a premium product. Why are we catering to the low income tourist?
As for your livelihood, you need to move with the changing times. Ecotourism, sustainable development, technology and online businesses are all the way forward. Think outside the box for ways to make income. But if we have the dock, there will be no box left and Caymanians will become economic migrants to other countries.
No to corruption!
Ballots must be in 12 days ahead…so that’s by 7 Dec. I’m curious to see how close to that date Alden will stretch the passing of the bill?
Why can’t people just get themselves to the polls! It really is simple!
Intolerant much?
I had already booked a trip off island. Cancel at a cost of $2,000 or get a postal vote? Think before you type please!
It shouldn’t be hard to understand that some Caymanians might be traveling 6 days before Christmas, or might be writing exams as overseas students. These people exist.
10:39 the Caymanians I know travel every day!
Not everyone is as mobile as you and me. I am glad, however, to read that the Elections office will make provisions for those unable to travel to their polling places.
Agree with your sentiment that there is no excuse for not voting: If a person is off-island, they can request a postal ballot. If a person is unable to attend, they can request a mobile ballot. If a person has failed to register to vote, they have missed their chance.
If a person is able to vote, but hasn’t registered, PLEASE do so now! You can always choose to not vote, but if you haven’t registered, you have forsaken your choices. Vote! If you don’t vote, you lose your ability to complain.
Sadly, not their physical ability to complain, only their moral right to do so.
I sit corrected. 😀
I live in London…
For an overseas student do we instruct to have the ballot sent to us overseas? Or sent to our home in Cayman and our family members send it to us overseas?
Gov would probably prefer if you didn’t vote at all
Overseas the ballots have to be hand delivered to the elector.
How is the hand delivery possible if these students are already overseas and have been since September/October. Besides not everyone can afford to fly home for Christmas every year.
The Ballot is not hand delivered overseas it’s sent via Express mail which Voter has to sign for.
There’s a huge community of us in the UK. Why can’t govt arrange all delivered at once to save on the courier/mail cost?
Mmmm I don’t think all overseas students are in the same country, let alone the same university in the same city!
What are you studying?! Heaven help us if you are on a government scholarship & guaranteed a civil servant job on completion.
Highly doubt the poster was suggesting everyone is in the UK but if there is a way to save costs why not take that route?
Otherwise honestly why can’t we just vote online?
I am unable to ‘👍🏼‘ your comment.
CNS: This is probably because someone else at your IP address has already voted.
I will try to find out the answer to your question. I encourage others to do so also. If I were in your shoes, I would call the Elections Office at 345-949-8047 for direction.
Contact the Elections Office via email to establish a paper trail with your questions and concerns.
Request a postal ballot from the Elections Office to be sent to you if you are overseas if that works best for you.
Alternatively you may request the postal be sent to your home address if you are confident your family member will forward to you. What is best for the student varies in each circumstance.
It is important that the overseas voter return your postal ballot to the Elections Office by Fed Ex or Courier service by 7th December 2019.
The onus is on the voter to return the postal ballot to the Elections Office to guarantee your vote counts in this Referendum.
There is a community of us in the UK. Why can’t they send them in one package to the rep office here and we give them back to them to send back to cayman to save on courier fees. Us students dont exactly have a lot of disposable income.
I am aware that not all of us are registered voters nor old enough to vote. But if this can’t happen, truly what is our rep office for other than photo opportunities and a party once a year.
I think all students on government scholarships should be advised on registering to vote and the importance of it or encouraged to register as a scholarship recipient.
If you were given a government scholarship then you should be interested in your country. Your country invested in you to be a productive member of society. Or is it looked at as free money to travel?