Cayman’s Elections Office was flooded by applications on the final day of voter registration on Wednesday as hundreds sought to beat the midnight deadline to get on to the electoral roll for the 30 April general election.
“We’re getting applications in-person. We’re getting them by email and we’re getting them from the online submissions,” Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell said Wednesday afternoon as he spoke with the Cayman Compass before the close of registrations.
As he flipped through a thick stack of hundreds of forms, all of which had been collected by lunchtime Wednesday, Howell said his team has a task ahead of them to verify all applications, which range from new registrations to change of address forms.
“It’s gonna be a busy few days for us here,” Howell said.
By 1pm Wednesday, Howell said 146 applications had been received by email since midnight. A thousand online applications had been made since the beginning of voter registration.
He said hundreds of forms were also received between 9am and 2pm at the Elections Office headquarters at Bayshore Plaza in George Town.
Already, Cayman’s electoral list had crossed the 24,700 mark, making it the highest number of registered voters.
That figure is expected to rise once the April list is made official, based on the volume of applications filed before the deadline.
‘Important’ exercise
Among those applying in-person was new voter Anna Karina McDermot.
McDermot, who said she has been living in Cayman for more than 27 years, said she did not think about registering previously to vote. However, she said she was moved by her children to finally get on the register of voters.
She said going in on deadline day was not planned, as she did not realise time was running out.
“I asked my kids last week when was the deadline and they said [Wednesday] and so I said, well, I have to go. I guess I tend to leave things for the last minute, but I wasn’t going to let it go,” McDermot said, adding she felt very happy she registered.
“[Now] I’m looking forward to the voting day,” she said.
When the Compass visited the Elections Office, there was a steady stream of voters, like Carvin Forbes, either registering or making changes to their address.
Forbes, who originally lived in Bodden Town, said he was updating his address to his George Town residence.
He said was not sure he wanted to make the change, but decided last minute to get it done.
The process, he said, was “smooth” and he was happy how quickly he was finished.
He urged young Caymanians to ”get involved and vote”.
Howell said he expected the stream of applications to continue until the office closed its doors at 7pm.
Online applications, he said, would continue to be accepted until midnight on Wednesday.
Getting involved
Newly registered voter Brandi Hurlstone, who said she recently returned home to live, said she was unsure about the deadline.
She said when she found out it was on Wednesday, she headed to the Elections Office.
“To be honest, my friends and I have been talking about it for the last couple of days and I think I’m just a procrastinator. So here I am last day. It feels good [to register before the deadline]. It’s exciting. It’s nice to contribute, I guess, and see what change can be made,” Hurlstone said.
She said she believes the elections process is “very important” and people her age and younger are really getting excited about being able to contribute.
“ I think we’ve been really hesitant. It hasn’t felt appropriate for us to weigh in, but we feel like change is happening and can happen with our voices being heard. So I’m just gonna give it a shot [and] see what happens,” Hurlstone said.
McDermot added that it’s important for people to vote and elect the right candidate for the wellbeing of the island.
“It’s important. The more people that vote, the better. If we really care for the island, we have to do this. It’s an obligation, I say,” she added.
After the deadline, Howell said the Elections Office team will check and verify applications.
“The final check is being done by the registering officer. They will produce a revised list of electors. We will publish that on 29 Jan. Then that list will be live for 21 days for individuals to review to make sure that their information is updated and they’re on the list,” he said.
This will then be followed by a period for claims and objections to the information on the revised list, Howell said.
The official list will be published 1 April and will be the list used for the 30 April general election.
The elections supervisor added that those who previously registered to vote and had no changes to name or address can visit the Elections Office between 9am and 5pm to get their voter ID cards.
Individuals registered between 2 Oct. 2024 and Wednesday can visit the Elections Office after 1 April to collect their voter ID card.
“While ID is required to vote, the voter ID card is not mandatory, and persons can use their passports or driver’s ID cards when voting,” Howell added.
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