More than 68% of the voters in Red Bay voted against Roy Tatum. More than 61% of the voters in George Town East voted against incumbent Roy McTaggart. Yet both of these People’s Progressive Movement candidates won seats in Parliament on Wednesday because the number of candidates in each of their respective constituencies diluted the vote.
Local politicians like to call this “cannibalisation,” a phenomenon that allows candidates to win with a plurality – also known as a relative majority – of votes rather than a simple majority of at least 50% plus one of the votes.
Tatum, a long-time PPM advisor, was running for the first time for the Parliament seat previously held by Sir Alden McLaughlin for 24 years. He faced off against four other candidates in Red Bay, narrowly defeating The Caymanian Community Party candidate Natasha Whitelocke by just 33 votes.
Although the two independent candidates in Red Bay had dismal results, the Cayman Islands National Party candidate, Dawn Thomas, had a good showing in the crowded field, garnering 25.5% of the votes – 67 votes behind Tatum.
The story was similar in George Town East, where incumbent McTaggart won by just 12 votes over political newcomer Vassel “Bud” Johnson of the CINP. However, TCCP candidate, Emily DeCou siphoned off 245 – 21.8% – of the votes.
It wasn’t only the PPM that benefited from having crowded candidate fields in certain constituencies. Michael Myles won Prospect with only 35.9% of the vote, while two other candidates earned more than 62% combined. In the end, Myles defeated incumbent TCCP candidate Sabrina Turner by 16 votes and PPM candidate Crystal Gomez – who got 28.1% of the vote – by 79 votes.
Two other candidates, TCCP incumbent in Newlands Wayne Panton (48.5%) and independent candidate Chris Saunders (43.8%) in Bodden Town West, also failed to get a majority of the votes, but both won their constituencies by large margins. Both Panton and Saunders ran against two other candidates who earned at least 23% of the total vote.
Having four or more candidates running in a constituency didn’t prevent four other winners from earning a majority result.
East End incumbent independent candidate Isaac Rankine got 52.8% of the vote against four other candidates; PPM incumbent candidate, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly received 52.3% of the vote in Cayman Brac East against four others; independent candidate Rolston Anglin received 50.3% against three others in West Bay North; and PPM candidate Pearlina McGaw-Lumsden received 51.3% of the vote in a field of four.
Two other candidates, Community Party incumbent in Newlands Wayne Panton (48.5%) and independent candidate Chris Saunders (43.8%) in Bodden Town West, also failed to get a majority of the votes, but both won their constituencies by large margins.
By the numbers
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