By Prior Beharry
JUST over one million people are eligible for Local Government Elections that take place across Trinidad and Tobago today.
The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) in a release on Sunday stated that it was ready for the polls from 6 am to 6 pm.
Bars and other establishments are not allowed to sell alcohol until after the polls closed.
Chief Elections Officer Fern Narcis-Scope said, “We’re ready and every effort has been made to ensure each elector is able to cast their vote.”
Narcis-Scope said people who have not received their poll card or with expired ID cards can still vote, once their name is on the Revised List of Electors. This can be checked online.
The release stated that the EBC has partnered with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) and the Disaster Management Units (DMUs) of the Regional Corporations.
Narcis-Scope said this was the beginning of what she considers to be a working partnership with these agencies going forward.
The EBC will be monitoring Monday’s weather conditions and will receive regular updates from the TTMS.
With the assistance of the ODPM and the DMUs, sandbags have also been pre-positioned in flood prone areas in the event of an emergency during Monday’s elections.
The EBC stated that there were 372 candidates with one withdrawing after nomination day from the La Romaine electoral district.
Officially 1,078,651 people are registered to vote in this elections.
The Special Elector electorate was 13, 284. Special Voting ended at 3 pm on August 13 at the Offices of the Returning Officers.
There are 14 regional corporations with 141 electoral districts being contested in this election. Currently, the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) each control seven.
The EBC release stated, “The electorate is reminded to verify the location of their polling station before leaving home to vote, as changes to polling station venues may have been made for these elections. Persons unsure of the location of their polling station can visit the EBC’s website at www.ebctt.com and do a Registration Look Up or call the EBC’s hotlines at 785-8206 or 785-8211.”
