Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

Turks and Caicos, January 10, 2025 – There are 772 more people who have the power to help determine the next government of the Turks and Caicos Islands; which means there are 9,353 voters who can participate in the February 7, 2025 General Elections.

A nine percent increase which is commendable, but it still misses that long-standing, elusive target of getting to at least 10,000 registered electors.

There is considered debate around the level of apathy amongst voters in the TCI.

This unenthusiastic posture toward the political landscape of the Turks and Caicos became a  significant topic of discussion and ultimately a deciding factor in the General Elections of 2021 where voter turnout sunk to under 77%.

It meant 2,121 people did not cast a vote or 25% of voters stayed away from the polls.

In the upcoming race, which has not only expanded the list of candidates from 15 to 19, giving each elector the power to decide upon ten members of the House of Assembly, there is a longer term for governance, now extended to five years.

In statistics published by the TCIG Elections Department, the figures from the previous election can be analysed and the Elector’s List for the upcoming poll can be accessed.  The information is interesting and exposes that key in the February 7 run off, is voter turnout.  The looming question being, can parties get people out to the polls?

We sized up each district for you.

For Electoral District 1 or Grand Turk North, voters dropped by four to 750.

For Electoral District 2 or Grand Turk South, voters dropped by 32, with 956 now on the register.

For Electoral District 3 or South Caicos, there has also been a dip with seven less voters; a total of 359.

For Electoral District 4 or North and Middle Caicos there has been a boost of 11 electors to 609.

For Electoral District 5 or Leeward and Long Bay, there are 50 more voters at 941 registered.

For Electoral District 6 or The Bight, a hefty 122 more voters took the list to 1,043 people.

For Electoral District 7 or Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill, voters are up to 1,430 which is a hike of 125.

For Electoral District 8 or Blue Hills, the register has 81 more electors or 1,081 voters to decide the seat.

For Electoral District 9 or Five Cays & Chalk Sound, the boom in voters is biggest at 206 more for 1,345.

For Electoral District 10 or Wheeland, another spike with 142 added; 839 people eligible  to cast a ballot.

As notices from the Elections Department, Integrity Commission and political parties begin to populate advertising and social media spaces, it is clear that the country’s main political rivals are in a fierce fight in the countdown to February 7.

Nomination Day is next Tuesday January 14.  On that day, candidates will become official, political party endorsements secure and perhaps independents will step forward in an offer to serve in the nation’s parliament.

In February 2021, the Progressive National Party led by Washington Misick decimated the competition, taking all but one electoral district, capturing all five All Island seats.

Four years earlier, the Peoples’ Democratic Movement also enjoyed a landslide victory when voters rejected the team in yellow in order to elect the country’s first woman premier.

Analysts of the statistics and trends of Turks and Caicos general elections through the years can often surmise one thing; there is a high chance for voters to swing, sit out or slay the party of their choosing in the ballot booth.

If the last general election results are any indicator, the turnout exposed an electorate which was unenthusiastic about the vote.  In all but two constituencies, the number of electors opting not to vote had the power to shift the popularity and possibly alter the election outcome.

Otis Morris, the winner for the PNP in ED1 had 123 more votes than his PDM contender but 153 people sat out of the vote.  Overall voter participation, according to the Elections Department, was 79.71%.

Edwin Astwood, the lone PDM winner in ED2 had 117 more votes than his PNP challenger, but 213 people were a no-show at the polls.  Voter participation was 76.95%.

South Caicos gave 81 more votes to John Malcolm of the PNP, one of the only races where even if all of the absent voters were to decide on his competition, the PNP would have still emerged victorious.  The official results reflected that fifty-three electors did not vote for a turn out of 84.94%, one of the highest that day.

North and Middle Caicos gave 73 more votes to the incumbent, Arlington Musgrove. Eighty-five voters did not cast any ballot according to the final results.  It was the constituency with the highest voter turnout at 85.79%.

Another victory which would have remained unchanged, even if all of the voters went with the PDM was in Leeward and Long Bay where three-time MP, Akierra Missick got 211 more votes and 182 did not show up at  the polls in that district.  Turn out in ED5 was 79.57%.

Electoral District 6, The Bight chose Matthew Stubbs, who secured 68 more votes than his PDM challenger.  But a whopping 255 people did not show up to cast votes. One of the lower voter turnouts for the Turks and Caicos on February 19, 2021 at 72.31%.

ED7 is Cheshire Hall and Richmond Hill, the largest constituency by voter count.  It was also a close race with very low voter turnout.  Only 68.81% of voters came out which means 407 voters stayed away from the polls.  The PNP’s Samuel Been won the district over the incumbent by 76 votes.

Blue Hills was also a loss for the PDM party, but there were only 15 votes that separated the candidates when Randy Howell was declared the winner.  Still, when you consider voter turnout was dismal, 65.1% and the lowest in the islands, you begin to see how 349 voters missing the election could have made a difference in this race.

A big battle was for Five Cays and Chalk Sound.  It was also a significant upset with the PNP’s Rachel Taylor securing 151 more votes when 76.29% of the electors turned out.  A staggering 270 people decided not to participate in the ED9 run off.

The TCI’s tenth constituency is Wheeland, where counting went into the wee hours of the morning.  Three votes separated the winner from the incumbent.  The PNP pulled off an upset by getting three more votes than the PDM’s candidate.  Voter turnout was at 77.91% and 154 people opted not to cast a ballot.

The General Election of 2021 bears a striking contrast to years previous in the Turks and Caicos, as elections before enjoyed far more robust participation of the Electorate, which is crucial in a nation where the people able to cast a vote make up only 20% of the population.  It is true, these 9,353 registered voters make the choice with which some 37,000 others have to live.

When British Direct Rule ended and elections were called in November 2012, voters came out in strong numbers with nearly 88% voter turnout recorded for a Rufus Ewing-led PNP victory by one seat.

In 2016, when the PDM led by Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson celebrated a landslide victory with 10 seats of 15, there was a drop in voters, however the 80% participation remained impressive to many.

It is hoped that political parties can energize their bases or perhaps attract new support as they have already begun political rallies around the islands.  While on many fronts it appears voter apathy is higher than ever, there is a possibility for a strong pitch which presents a compelling vision for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Everyone we’ve spoken to, says somebody’s gotta bring it.  So we return to the question, with which we started, can either of these parties or an independent candidate, inspire, ignite or rekindle a fire so hot that it gets voters from the sidelines to the poll lines come next month.