Bahamas, May 4th 2017 – Nassau – It was a scene of pandemonium at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium in New Providence, as thousands of voters headed to the advanced polls on Wednesday 3rd May 2017. Advanced voting was scheduled to commence at 8am however, doors were not open to the public until approximately 9:30am. In addition to the late start, there were reports of ballot boxes arriving late, voter cards that were stamped with the incorrect date and some voters even got turned away.
Many earlier voters had to stand in the hot sun for hours without proper briefing resulting in frustration. Officers then had to barricade voters to ensure that they stayed peacefully in the lines. To make matters worse, there were reports of a brawl between Progressive Liberal Party and Free National Movement supporters right outside the gymnasium. Though it is against the law to campaign on the voting line, there were also seas of red and yellow, representing PLP and FNM supporters paraded outside the doors.
Persons eligible for early voting included members of the protective services and ministers such as Minister of National Security, Dr. Bernard Nottage. When asked about his feeling toward the way the advanced voting turned out, Nottage responded, “clearly it is not going as freely as we’d wished.”
When asked what were the reasons behind the chaos, Nottage had no comment. However, some Bahamians believe that the switch in location may have contributed to the havoc. It was initially advertised that there would be two locations, the Thomas Robinson Stadium and the Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium, for citizens to vote. However, when voters arrived at the stadium they were redirected to the Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium, thus forcing voters from all 39 constituencies to try to fit in one facility.
Prime Minister Perry Christie also appeared to be surprised by the disorder displayed at the polling stations, blaming “administrative challenges” to be the problem. Despite the disarray, both the leader of the PLP and the leader of the Democratic National Alliance, Branville McCartney confessed to having had a successful advanced voting experience. Open polling stations for all other Bahamians are carded for May 10th 2017.
Story By: Kay-Marie Fletcher
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