The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PARLIAMENTARY Registration Department officials say they expect voting to run more smoothly today than last month’s chaotic advanced poll, with enough results expected by 9pm to show how the next government is taking shape.

Geoffrey McPhee, the department’s election consultant, said officials have expanded voting locations, increased staffing and spread voters across more polling places after the advanced poll was marred by long lines and extended waits.

He said New Providence alone will have nearly 340 polling places today.

Mr McPhee said there could still be “surprises” that slow the process, but he expects enough results to be available tonight to show the direction of the election.

He urged voters to remain patient and respectful, saying wait times should be shorter than those experienced during the advanced poll because voters will be spread across more locations and more election officials will be available to assist them.

Mr McPhee admitted officials underestimated turnout at last month’s advanced poll.

“We hear words like chaos, but those of us who witnessed it figured it was a difficult situation,” he said. “Yes, we probably could have designed something larger to accommodate many more persons, but to ramp up that quickly, it's easy to find buildings. It's not easy to find trained personnel to deal with voters as we expect them to.”

Today’s general election follows weeks of complaints from the Free National Movement about the electoral process, voter fraud and the integrity of the voters register, concerns government officials have repeatedly dismissed.

Several people have been arrested in matters involving fraudulent identification.

Government officials have said such concerns can be addressed at polling stations, where party agents can challenge suspicious voters when names are called.

Addressing those concerns yesterday, Mr McPhee said identifying fake documents is not solely the department’s responsibility, but staff have been trained to spot irregularities and report suspected fraud to the relevant government agencies.

He said anyone who presents fraudulent documents will immediately be referred to police.

“We do our best and we do a very good job of identifying passports that are fraudulent, even the newer ones. We've been trained and when we do find them, basically report that back to the department of the government that's responsible for it.”

Officials have previously said they expect high voter turnout, with 209,264 people listed on the register.

Nearly 40,000 voters have received biometric voter cards, according to the department.