Referendum and elections will be on same ballot paper
(CNS): The Elections Office has confirmed that the three referendum questions will be on the same ballot paper as the candidates standing in the relevant constituencies. The office will be starting a public awareness and education campaign about the 2025 General Election as soon as the Referendum Bill is enacted following its recent passage in parliament.
Voters can choose to vote only in the election or only in the referendum, or they can choose to answer just one or two of the three referendum questions.
However, the Elections Office is urging everyone who is lawfully registered to vote to exercise their democratic right in both the elections and the referendum, given their importance.
General Election Day is set for 30 April, when voters in all 19 constituencies will be asked three referendum questions:
- Should the Cayman Islands develop cruise berthing infrastructure?
- Do you support the introduction of a National Lottery in the Islands?
- Do you support the decriminalisation of the consumption and possession of small amounts of cannabis?
As this is a government-initiated referendum, it is non-binding. However, it remains controversial as all three of the questions are vague, with no details about what would happen if there was a ‘yes’ vote. The most controversial is the question on cruise berthing, as there is no specific project on the table and therefore no information about the type of berthing facility, where it might be, how much it would cost and its impact on infrastructure, the environment and people’s way of life.
The idea of a national lottery has also not been explained. At this stage, nothing has been discussed about how it would work, where the money would go, how that would impact the prohibition on gambling and whether the government or a private sector entity would manage it.
In a recent appearance on Radio Cayman, Chris Saunders (BTW) said he had been led to believe by the government that the money could go towards providing free healthcare for Caymanian seniors and children. However, the UPM minority government has said very little publicly about how a lottery might work and whether or not it is viable.
While the decriminalisation of ganja is a far cry from legalisation, the main aim is to prevent Caymanians from receiving a criminal record for consumption or possession of small amounts of the drug because of the significant impact this can have on securing employment in the future and travelling, especially to the United States, even in the case of medical emergencies.
However, the specifics of what qualifies as a “small quantity” have not been discussed. Similarly, what administrative fines might be imposed on users is unknown.
The government has promised to begin an awareness campaign, financed using public cash, over the coming weeks to persuade the country to vote ‘yes’ on all three questions. Activist groups campaigning against the cruise berthing proposition have pointed out that there are no campaign financing rules to ensure equal funds are given to those promoting ‘no’ votes to ensure the referendum is fair.
Check out the CNS Election Section interactive map to see who is running in each constituency.
See the list of candidates and their party affiliations here.
Category: Referendum
Change writes: Every constituency has the same issue when their MP becomes a minister. It is not that they stop caring about their area, but Cabinet members have no choice but to tackle issues at national level, and that takes budget, meetings, reports, travel, conference calls, sitting with lawyers to streamline bills and laws — all […]
Decriminalisation of small amounts of cannabis is the least controversial and should be an easy “yes” vote.
Will government increase the monthly stipend so that people on welfare can buy lottery tickets so that they can hopefully get off of welfare?
Adeptus Ridiculous Transmission: Binding or Blinding?
Behold, denizens of Caymanmunda, for the latest act in this grand theater of legislative absurdity has been revealed! The sacred rite of democracy—the grand ritual where the citizens cast their votes in the hope of influencing the future—has now been fused with a referendum of dubious significance, bound together on a single, ominous document. But lo! A shadow lurks in the margins, a precedent most foul! For if one part of the document is deemed non-binding… what is to stop them from claiming the entire document is mere parchment for the archives of irrelevance?
Non-binding today, non-existent tomorrow!
If the referendum, placed side by side with the general election, is simply advisory, then what stops a future opportunist from suggesting that the MLA election results, residing on the same paper, are equally up for interpretation? What if, upon reviewing the ballots, the powers that be declare:
“Ah, yes! The referendum results? A mere whisper of the people’s will! And as for the election results… well, they were on the same page, weren’t they? Surely, they too must be advisory in nature!”
Thus, we arrive at a glorious loophole, a shimmering gateway into a constitutional nightmare where the results of an election may only matter if those in power find them convenient! Today, they call it an efficient ballot. Tomorrow, they call it a policy recommendation.
THE MECHADENDRITES QUIVER IN FURY!
The Adeptus Ridiculous has seen this pattern before in the crumbling ruins of empires past—where the ink of the people’s will fades before it even dries, replaced by the smirks of those who rule from their ivory towers.
Prepare yourselves, citizens! For what is binding today may soon be blinding tomorrow! And when the clerks at Fort Street, in their infinite wisdom, declare that your votes are but the polite suggestions of peasants, the Adeptus shall stand among the ruins and declare:
“We told you so!”
End Transmission.
The berthing and many candidates deserve a no vote.
Will the Elections Office be enforcing the law in regards to the size, etc. of temporary Election Signage as they stated?
The 32 sq. ft. maximum and 12′ set back, so that no Planning permission is required.
If not them, then who? If there is no enforcement then all we have are suggestions not laws.
As if our voting populace was not confused enough already.