Categorized | National News

Last minute voters in an outrage

Pandemonium broke out at the Parliamentary Registry yesterday as hundreds of Bahamians scurried to register before the 5pm voter registry deadline set by law preceding the dissolution of Parliament today.

 

While several other locations including Marathon Mall, Town Centre Mall, the South Beach Post Office, the Cable Beach Post office, Elizabeth Estates Post Office and Carmichael Post Office were available for persons to register, the Parliamentary Registry was the only location for person’s to retrieve their voter’s card.

 

Either way, most persons said the system needed a complete revamp as long lines and unbearable wait times took over most of their days.

 

“My gripe is they don’t have a great system up here,” a female registrant said.

 

“The system is that we have to be on this line just to put in to pick it up, we’ve been here quite a while in the hot sun.

 

“The system is disorganized, they need more help. They have us in a tight little spot, and someone needs to just come out here to fix this,” a male registrant said.

 

“Up to now as far as we made it is to the door, only to the door,” said Dwight.

 

“They gave out numbers to about fifteen of us and now they’re telling everybody that there are other places open. How is that fair to the people who were here from seven eight o’clock this morning? When will they stop treating the Bahamian people who have the power like the animals?”

 

Another male registrant says he had to take days off to complete the process and had still not gotten anywhere.

 

“Right now I took Friday off, I took Monday off.

 

“It’s an inconvenience to people and it is not right,” said the irate Bahamian.

 

Meantime, two individuals admitted to The Bahama Journal that the wait time for them was acceptable, given the fact that they waited last minute to register when they had ample time to do so prior to yesterday’s deadline.

 

“Well, I signed in went out and came back,” said Mr. Davis

 

“When I came back, it didn’t take too long for me but I’m sure the other people here, they’ll be here a while, ” he said.

 

“I got here at 9:30 and it’s now 12:30,” said another female registrant.

 

“Being that I was so late to register, I think the time it took for me to finish the process was fair. It was fair,” she said.

Parliamentary Commissioner Sherlyn Hall told the Bahama Journal that following yesterday’s closure, the registry would go into full election mode.

 

“We go into high gear. We’ll do all of our in- house work cleaning up the register and making sure the notices are ready for publication one day after the house and been dissolved,” he said.

 

Persons can continue to pick up their voters cards at the Parliamentary Registry.

 

Written by Jones Bahamas

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