BY ARIANNA NEELY
BAHAMAS JOURNAL WRITER

Senior election workers assigned to the Golden Isles advance poll have now backed out of
Monday’s by-election, saying they feel threatened, disrespected, and unsafe after an
aggressive confrontation outside Remnant Tabernacle Church, according to Returning Officer
Neil Campbell. The unexpected withdrawal raises concern that The Bahamas may not only
contend with political tensions, but a deeper crisis; not having enough trained workers willing
to run elections at all.
Campbell, a veteran election officer who has served in general and local elections and
advised internationally, said those who administer polls are pulled from public offices where
they normally serve in education, culture, law, and administration. They lend their expertise
each election, not as political actors, but as public servants fulfilling an impartial duty. After
Monday night, several have now said they will not return.
He said this reaction stems from the shock of what happened outside the polling site,
particularly because the procedures inside the church auditorium ran smoothly, without
dispute, and with full participation from all political parties. He stressed that representatives
from the Coalition of Independents, the Free National Movement, the Progressive Liberal
Party, and the independent candidates were physically present and involved in every stage of
sealing and securing ballot materials.
Campbell noted that the officers went beyond normal protocols in response to requests from
party agents. They sealed both the top and bottom of each ballot envelope, allowed each
agent to sign every envelope individually, and repeatedly demonstrated how the ballot box
was opened, reclosed, and logged in the police diary. Even a request to manually tap the
bottom of the ballot box — to prove nothing was concealed — was accommodated.
This level of scrutiny was confirmed by Presiding Officer Montez Williams, who explained
in detail how the ballot materials were secured at the end of the night. Williams stated:
“We double-sealed the envelopes, and their signatures and mine, and that of the assistant
returning officer, Ismael Davis, were affixed to the envelopes, so that in the event the seal is
broken, it would be obvious. Those envelopes were then packed into the ballot box along
with other particulars, including the actual ballots. Again, envelopes sealed and
countersigned. The actual ballot box was then sealed. Stickers were placed all around it.
And we waxed, and the representatives affixed their signatures to the box.”
Campbell added that after each step, agents verified the seals, touched the locks, examined
the wax, inspected the string, saw the tape applied, and signed wherever they chose. The
police diarist logged the time stamps of when seals were applied, when the box was opened
for inspection, and when it was closed again. By the end of the process, Campbell said, all
parties were satisfied and offered compliments to the staff. According to him, party agents
shook hands, laughed with officers, and described it as one of the most transparent advance
polls they had witnessed.

The mood shifted abruptly once the sealed ballot box was carried outside. A group gathered
at the church gates, blocked the path of the small transport vehicle assigned to carry the box,
and began shouting accusations of election interference. Campbell said that individuals who
had not been present inside were suddenly demanding different terms for transporting the
box, even though those instructions had already been agreed hours earlier with their own
legal representatives.
He described a man rushing toward him “in a heated manner” and accusing him of trying to
“steal the election.” Officers and police were surrounded, shouted at, and forced to negotiate
new demands under pressure. Campbell said the treatment turned nonpartisan officers into
targets for political hostility, even though they had bent over backwards to address every
concern throughout the day.
“What shook the workers most,” Campbell explained, “wasn’t disagreement — it was being
shouted at, blocked, and treated as if we were the problem when we followed everything the
law requires.” He said it was alarming that those enforcing procedure were accused publicly
and personally, and that their names were called out as if they were political actors.
Following the incident, several experienced officers informed Campbell they will not return
for the by-election. He warned that if election workers continue to face personal threats, the
country could face a crisis like other nations where hundreds refused to serve. “We may have
our teams not show up,” Campbell said. “Where would our electoral process go?”
Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson echoed Campbell’s concerns, calling the
confrontation “deeply regrettable and entirely avoidable.” He stressed that there are legal
ways to challenge election procedures, and that no part of the law allows supporters to block
exits, surround vehicles, intimidate workers, or harass those who secure ballot materials. He
insisted that public servants deserve respect, not hostility, and that transparency only works if
officers are able to carry out their duties without fear.
Campbell emphasized that the administration of elections cannot bend to crowds or
intimidation. He said the law must remain the only authority. “Let’s follow the law,” he
stated. “Let’s not bend anything for anyone. Once you bend, everyone expects that you’ll
bend all day.”
As the Golden Isles by-election approaches, the question hanging over the process is no
longer simply who will win the seat, but whether enough election workers will feel safe
enough to show up and protect the integrity of the vote.