Jamaica prepares for local government elections

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer 

#Jamaica, November 25, 2023 – Local Government elections are just around the corner and Jamaica is in preparation mode for a potentially hot competition on Election Day.

In readying for the typically heated running for divisional councilors and mayors, as is the nature of local government elections, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), as of November, commenced the recruitment process for elections day workers, as reported by The Jamaica Information Service (JIS).

The electoral office has been appealing to Jamaicans to apply for positions on Election Day, due, under the law, on or before February 28th, 2024, about three months from now.

Glasspole Brown, Director of Elections, informed the media that EOJ since the start of the recruitment process, training has begun. However, there are still many people than have the chance to be a part of  the election process, especially given the positions available.

The available positions include presiding officers, poll clerks, supervisors and polling station security assistants (PASSA) or or one-day police officers, as they are called.

Not only that, there are also positions for logistical support as well as short term employment within the Information Technology Department and Field Operations Department and in officers; this is for additional work before and after Election Day.

Upon starting the recruitment process, EOJ set a goal for approximately 28,000 people which they are now close to reaching.

“So far, the response has been very good, we are close to our target, but we continue to recruit because we have to go through a process of training these individuals,” expressed Brown.

He added that after training there may be a number of the recruits who do not make the cut due to not meeting the standard required to work on Election Day, hence the continuation of recruitment. Brown further pointed out that the EOJ will be prepared before the year’s end.

This term’s Local government election comes after three postponements, when the bill allowing the delay was passed earlier this year in February, reports say. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness indicated that the election WILL be held In February or next year, as it is due.

In fact, further postponement was answered with heavy pushback from the opposition, which expressed that it is in contradiction to true democracy.

Local government elections in Jamaica are constitutionally (under the law) due every four years and were last held in November of 2016. The next due date was November 2020, but due to COVID-19, it was put off, despite the holding of general elections two months prior in September.