Organisers of the one-person, one-vote drive will rely on house-to-house visits and neighbourhood meetings to explain the advantages they see in changing the way voters in the Cayman Islands elect their representatives.
At a public meeting in North Side on Tuesday night, former political candidate Bo Miller said he had been working since December with a committee of 20 people to get a referendum called on the matter. “It’s a people’s initiative,” he said. “It’s citizen driven.”
He revealed that the committee had assigned him to raise $100,000 for anticipated expenses such as advertising and the printing of literature.
But money is secondary, he indicated. “I believe the strongest asset we have is the people who signed the petition,” he said.
He was referring to the petition still in circulation that was formally launched on 15 February by North Side Member of the Legislative Assembly Ezzard Miller and East End MLA Arden McLean, who represent the Cayman Islands’ only two single-member constituencies. The petition would have forced government to hold a referendum on the one-person, one-vote question if it received the required number of voter signatures.
Instead, “Government hijacked the referendum and skewed it in their favour,” MLA Miller told the gathering at the Craddock Ebanks Civic Centre. By government calling the referendum, the results are not binding, he said. Further, if it passes, there would be no requirement that provisions for one-person, one-vote would be in place for the 2013 general elections.
But, he added, supporters are preparing themselves. If the referendum wins and the premier does not put provisions in place, “We will call a people’s referendum to make it binding.”
He expressed confidence that the referendum will get enough yes votes.
Several women from West Bay said they had come to North Side to find out what they could do. One woman said there were a lot of elderly voters who didn’t understand the issue. She asked if referendum supporters would have a public meeting in her district.
“The greatest opportunity to educate people is on a one-to-one basis,” MLA Miller replied.
He said there will be groups of people going around to have little functions, whether in a neighbourhood park or someone’s yard. “We’ll try to do it by personal contact.”
“Get on the phone and talk to your friends … Go to their homes, sit in their living room and talk to them,” he encouraged.
Another person in the audience suggested meeting with church groups and senior groups in the various districts.
Asked about social media, he said there were a lot of young people involved in the campaign who are dealing with Facebook, Twitter and other Internet mediums to get the message out and interact with users.
Another question from the audience was about absentee ballots for people who had planned to be away on 18 July, the date announced for the referendum.
Bo Miller jokingly replied, “In this economy, people can’t afford a vacation.”
Both he and MLA Miller explained that the Election Law and rules apply to a referendum, so there will be postal ballots and mobile voting.
One big difference is that, because there are no candidates, there will be no candidates’ agents to attend the polling stations or the ballot counting.
Instead, Governor Duncan Taylor will appoint observers.
Both men also offered their opinion that the Boundary Commissioners had done an excellent job in drawing up the proposed constituencies for one-person, one-vote.
Bo Miller said supporters had to make sure they voted on the referendum.
“If you stay home that day, that’s the same as a ‘no’ vote,” he said.
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On the radio I distinctly remember Bo Miller saying that the OMOV movement was not politically motivated or driven, now Mr. Miller is described as a political candidate with Ezzard and Arden are deeply involved in the referendum. This does not add up.
More haste and less speed as the old folks would say.
I agree with the old saying. When taking on these initiatives we must first consider the importance to tie up all loose ends of the basic structures giving the documents a strong foundation. In this case the petition for a people’s initiated referendum. This ground work must be completed before coming public on any crucial issue.
It would make more sense that at the inception of the petition that Mr. Miller, Mr. McLean and others would also have included if it were constitutionally possible; to have already included the appropriate wording in the petition that would make the referendum binding. To repeat the process of seeking 7-8000 signatures on a second round is simply double work, wear and tare on those working so very hard to see this through by offering themselves as volunteers throughout the island. Many of them are senior citizens concerned about the affairs of the country and our children’s future; but consideration must be given to a more comprehensive approach and the fact that its better to kill two birds with one stone. Its time we begin to work smart and not hard.