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A mother and her two daughters who voted early on April 28 at the Guaico Government Primary School in Sangre Grande. - Photo by Stephon NicholasTHERE was a steady flow of voters in Sangre Grande while the Toco area was described as slow but steady, in the keenly contested Toco/Sangre Grande constituency on April 28.
At the Guaico Government Primary School, many voters were out very early and spoke of a very smooth process in the polling stations there.
However, one voter, Nicole Maharaj, told Newsday she encountered some challenges as she claimed the officials made mistakes.
She said, "They gave me the wrong consecutive number. They didn't cross off the one before. And then when I signed, I'm supposed to sign exactly like the ID card, so I had to re-sign...And then the presiding officer made a mistake saying I was 2110, and I was 2102, so she scratched it...So I'm hoping my ballot is still good."
She said she never had those problems before despite voting regularly at that location.
A woman, who only identified herself as Kay, 38, came with her mother and sister at 5.45 am to cast their ballots when the polls opened at 6 am.
She told Newsday the process was efficient.
She said she is a regular voter and takes her civic right seriously.
"I just needed to get it over with.
"I was taught I don't have a say unless I exercise my franchise, and I like to have a say," she said.
A mother and daughter also came to vote and praised the EBC officials for ensuring everything went well.
They said they live close to the local EBC office and went in recently to check their registration status.
"We got our poll cards as well so we knew where we had to vote."
PNM candidate Roger Monroe voted at the Guaico Government Primary School on April 28. - Photo by Stephon Nicholas
PNM candidate Roger Monroe also voted at the Guaico Government Primary School around 8.40 am and said everything went smooth.
However, he claimed that at another polling station in Cumaca, Valencia, an agent of another political party arrived claiming to be from the PNM. He said when the PNM agent arrived, they were debarred. He said this was eventually sorted out.
He said he was confident in his election machinery and was also proud that he was able to vote in the constituency he was vying for.
"I am very confident because I am standing on the work that I would have been able to do in Toco/Sangre Grande."
At the Sangre Grande Secondary School, a 43-year-old man said the voting process was smooth even without his polling card or national ID.
He said, "It had a large turnout of voters around this time, 10.21 am. I have voted here my whole life and I have never seen this number of voters.
"I had my driver's permit. They just had a quick confirmation that I was the person, and I was allowed to vote. I swore an affidavit, which is not signing anything but swearing that you're the person."
A young woman who came with her two friends to vote said she did not like the polling agent calling out her name loudly.
Asked if voting was something she took seriously, she said, "Not really."
Asked why she decided to vote, she replied, "To me, I feel like voting, in this time, maybe it matters. It didn't matter before, but maybe it matters this time."
Commonwealth observers were also seen at various polling centres as well as a strong police presence.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) Minister of Public Utilities Colm Imbert claimed people were being paid $1,000 to vote for the UNC, but Snr Supt Paponette told Newsday around 11.23 am, he was unaware of any such reports in Toco/Sangre Grande.
Other senior police officers also said they have not received any reports of voter inducement or intimidation in the marginal constituencies in Toco/Sangre Grande and Aranguez/St Joseph.
Snr Supt Michael Pierre of the Central Division said, “I would have been through the entire St Joseph area and I also have patrols covering the area and I have had no such reports or information.”
Pierre said having been alerted to the claims by Imbert the police would look into it.
ACP Rishi Singh of the Eastern Division also said he had not received any reports of such incidents in the Toco/Sangre Grande area.
According to the Representation of the People Act Chap. 2:01 “A person is guilty of bribery who, directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person on his behalf gives any money or procures any office to or for any elector or to or for any other person on behalf of any elector or to or for any other person in order to induce any elector to vote or refrain from voting.”
Peter Simon, 82, voted at Northeastern College, Sangre Grande, on April 28. - Photo by Stephon Nicholas
This story was originally published with the headline VVoters out early in hotly contested Toco/Sangre Grande seat and has been updated to include additional details. See original post below.
THERE was a steady flow of voters at the Guaico Government Primary School on April 28 as polls opened in the marginal constituency of Toco/Sangre Grande and across the country.
A woman, who only identified herself as Kay, 38, lined up with her mother and sister from 5:45am to cast her ballot.
She told Newsday the process was smooth and efficient in the polling booth.
She said she is a regular voter and takes her civic right seriously.
"I just needed to get it over with.
"I was taught I don't have a say unless I exercise my franchise, and I like to have a say," she said.
A mother and daughter also came to vote and praised the EBC officials for ensuring everything went well.
They said they live close to the local EBC office and went in recently to check their registration status.
"We got our poll cards as well so we knew where we had to vote."
There was also a heavy police presence at the polling station.
Four candidates are contesting the seat - Roger Monroe for the PNM, Wayne Sturge for the UNC, Christine Newallo-Hosein for the NTA and Elizabeth Wharton for the Patriotic Front.
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