All in Place Ahead of the St Mary’s South By-election

The Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) has officially published the Register for Elections for the St. Mary’s South constituency ahead of the by-election scheduled for October 24th.

The document is now available for viewing at the designated locations within the constituency and will be uploaded online by the end of the business day on Friday for easier access. Just over 2,700 individuals are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming polls.

The duly nominated candidates are Dwayne George of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party, Kelvin Simon of the United Progressive Party, and Andrew Antonio of the Democratic National Alliance.

The publication was preceded by a week-long intense training program for over 30 individuals who will be responsible for managing the operations at the various polling stations. The training started on Tuesday at the Urlings Primary School and will conclude later today. The sessions were conducted by Returning Officer Denise Parker with the assistance of Registration Officer Anika Anthony.

“Most of the 35 participants were a part of the electoral process on January 18th, so it is basically a refresher course. The majority of them are familiar with the process, but because all eyes will be on St Mary’s South, we want to make sure that everyone gets an added boost to their skills set,” said Elisa Graham, the Public Relations Officer for ABEC told State TV

During the training, the group covered topics such as the duties of presiding officers, the issuing of ballot papers, the collecting of gender statistics, the rules that govern the companion of a blind voter who is presented to cast a ballot, and how to check fingerprints before and after the voting process. They were also exposed to training on how to record names in the Register and set up the polling stations.

Both George and Simon have been holding separate rallies with their supporters ahead of voting day.

George has been seen working within the community, assisting several schools. Simon has conducted a health fair for constituents and has been actively involved in community cleanup and various sporting activities for the children.

Antonio, who only amassed 12 votes in the January polls, remains undeterred and confident in his chances.