Local observers prepare for election watch
(CNS): The seven local people who have been selected to form the domestic election observation team are beginning the preparation needed before they can begin their work watching over the 2025 General Election and Referendum. The team, which has established a private and confidential headquarters in Cricket Square, will take part in a training session with a law school professor on both domestic and international observation protocols before its members officially begin their duties.
The observers have already met with Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell and his deputies. They are also expected to meet with the international observation mission from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region (CPA BIMR), who arrived here on Sunday.
While the domestic observers will attend some joint stakeholder meetings alongside the CPA mission, they won’t discuss findings and will instead draw their own independent conclusions.
The domestic election and referendum observers were chosen from applicants by a committee chaired by Deputy Governor Franz Manderson. He made recommendations to Governor Jane Owen, who then made the official appointments.
The team comprises Head of Mission Deborah Ebanks, Nelva Ebanks, Briony Gallegos, Abraham Mathew, Brittany MacVicar, Marc Thomas and Valerie Ritch. They come from various walks of life and bring a collective wealth of expertise. The team is supported by alternate observers Jessica Anderson and Colleen Stoetzel.
Among their roles and responsibilities, the team will observe the entire electoral period and all polling stations. This includes postal ballots and mobile voting, which started Monday, counting and any potential recount, and post-election and referendum issues that may arise. Some members of the team will be deployed to Cayman Brac to observe voting activities on the Sister Islands on 30 April.
On Election Day, the observers will watch at the Command Centre, the information hub for elections. They will also monitor campaign meetings, rallies and other activities.
“The members of the domestic mission team are very enthusiastic,” Ebanks said of her team as she thanked them for “putting themselves out there to serve in this capacity to ensure that our election process is carried out fairly and in keeping with Cayman’s record of high-quality elections”.
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: Election News
Observers have a duty to act to notify of any breach of the law or abuse of process. They are not watching a movie for discussion later. There are already abuses underway!
We need to watch out for vote buying. PPM candidates family members are handing out money to voters. Does that count as vote buying?
Just as much as Wayne “loaning “ millions to cabinet colleagues does.
Are they going to do anything about Myles being at the mobile polling stain in Prospect?
No
Ask them if they seen my new fridge anywhere. It not reach yet.