The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

OVER 20,000 Bahamians have now registered to vote on Grand Bahama with another 6,000 to 8,000 on the island remaining to be registered.

Reno Smith, assistant commissioner at the Parliamentary Registration Department in Freeport, reported yesterday that 20,227 people had registered on the island as of February 15.

“We are now in the 20,000-plus range and registration is going very well,” he told The Tribune.

Voter registration has picked up “tremendously” on Grand Bahama, and Mr Smith reported that the department experienced a major boost in registration last Friday.

“Some rumour was started that last Friday was the last day to register and that helped tremendously. We have not been able to move from our desk and we are constantly busy,” Mr Smith said.

He reported that Central Grand Bahama has the highest number of registered voters, 4,479 up to February 15. East Grand Bahama is second with 4,436; Marco City with 4,265; Pineridge with 3,658 and West Grand Bahama and Bimini with 3,389 voters registered.

Mr Smith expects the numbers to increase because there are 10 outlying voter registration stations open throughout the island.

He said registration stations have been set up at some government schools, and at Christ the King Education Hall in Freeport; at St Stephen’s Anglican Church in Eight Mile Rock; and at Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in West End.

“We have put our mobile registration on hold at this time … and we are asking people to go the outlying stations to register,” Mr Smith said.

He said the department is planning to conduct voter registration at the Circle Mall and at the domestic and international terminals at the Grand Bahama International Airport, where people would have their passports with them while travelling.

Mr Smith said that arrangements are also being made to have special registration held at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute in Grand Bahama.

The assistant parliamentary commissioner said officials are trying their best not disenfranchise any Bahamian who comes in to register.

“The Bahamas is for its citizens and we trying to do whatever we can to assist those persons who are not coming with all relevant documents, and we refer them to the appropriate government agencies to assist them in getting their documents and to come back to us in time,” he said.

Mr Smith said people who have lost or destroyed passports are referred to the Passport Office to get a certified copy and bring it in.

“We are doing everything we can do to assist qualified Bahamians to register for this upcoming election.

“We love the fact that Bahamians are beginning to come in droves. We have about six to eight thousand left to register on the island, and we believe we will able to have them registered in short order,” Mr Smith said.