First-time youth voters turn out to have voices heard

Elections 2020

By Lakhram Bhagirat

Casting your first ballot as an eligible voter is one of the most memorable parts of being an adult and on Monday, thousands of youngsters made their maiden voyages to various polling places across Guyana and marked their first ‘X’ cementing their status as an eligible voter.

Guyana hosted its long-overdue General and Regional Elections on March 2, 2020, and one thing that was clearly visible was the enthusiasm of the youth voters.
The youngsters made the effort to get up a bit earlier, since it was a National Holiday, and join long lines of voters just for the opportunity to ensure that their choices were noted. Throughout the count, youths encouraged each other and even went as far as accompanying their friends to the polling places.
Guyana Times caught up with a number of those youth voters who related their experiences. The overall report that came from them was that the process was fairly smooth and the jittery feeling of marking their ‘X’ next to the political party of their choice was “totally worth it”.

First-time voter, Satram Mohammed made voting his first priority on Monday. He shared the special moment with his mother in tow as he made his way to the La Grange Primary School on the West Bank of Demerara.
“To me, the process was pretty straight forward. I went to query and then was directed to the right room to vote… I’ve noticed that mostly the older folks were confused and pushed from room to room though which was a bit troubling,” he related.

Another excited first-timer was Andy Alfred. The youth said as a first-time voter, his expectations of a lengthy process was high but he was in for a surprise. He thoroughly enjoyed the ability to exercise his franchise in choosing the leaders he wants to represent him as Guyana develops into one of the frontier nations in the western hemisphere.

“I voted at the Novar Nursery School and the process was quite simple to follow. As a first time voter, I thought the process would have been more lengthy and difficulty but it was the opposite. Within five minutes I was in and out of the Polling Station,” he recounted.
Marcia Ramjohn, who was an eligible voter since the last elections, chose this critical elections to exercise her right to vote. She, as a first-time voter, found the process to be very simple and encouraged her fellow youth to ensure that they always exercise their democratic right to vote. She noted that having the ability to show leaders of Guyana that they need to be servants of the people and not the masters is one that she will forever hold in high regard.

“It was a distinct honour to be given the right to vote, since citizens in some countries aren’t given the opportunity to vote. The voting process at Mc Gill Centre, Canal No 1 can be described as peaceful and smooth flowing. Although I won’t disclose the political party I voted for, I’ll say I voted for a prosperous Guyana. To the party that wins, I hope you uphold your promises in the manifesto to improve the daily lives of every Guyanese citizen because we the youths are watching you,” first-time voter Anjalie Ramraj said.

In the mining town of Linden, Region 10, the youths were seen at the polling places throughout the day. Guyana Times caught up with Unique Bremner, who explained that the process was very straightforward for her. She related that she was afforded the opportunity to be a part of the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) training as a Polling Clerk, hence the ease in which she cast her ballot.
“It is my first time voting. It was easier than I thought it would be as a first-time voter. I was expecting more like a whole long process but it was quite simple. Vote because your voice is being heard. I believe this is the opportunity to choose the President you think is best to rule our country,” she said.
On the opposite side, the East Coast of Demerara, the youngsters were also out in their numbers. They joined their elders in the tradition of beating the drums and blowing the horns to awaken the village. This practice is an age-old tradition on Elections Day and serves as an alarm for eligible voters.

The beating of the drums and blowing of the horns are powerful enough to penetrate the walls of the community’s houses and wake up its inhabitants. The activity would start around 03:30h, which would allow the eligible voters time to prepare themselves before they head to the polls for 06:00h.
Latifah Henry, a first-time voter who cast her ballot at Belfield, ECD related: “You know like long ago your parents use to tell you that is always about this whole big fuss and ranting? To me it’s really very peaceful, you just go in and do your thing and that it. It’s like saying ‘I am a taxpayer, finally’. It feels so good, it is a good experience honestly. My PO was really good, I didn’t have an ID card, it was not as hard as people would expect it to be.”
Over at Golden Grove, Rickell Seaforth said he was very excited to be able to vote for the first time. He voted at the Golden Grove Secondary to a fast process.
“It was my first time voting and It was very simple. I was a little nervous since it was my first time. The process was what I expected. There were no problems at all”, he explained.
Over 600,000 eligible voters were on the Official List of Electors. (Additional reporting by Utamu Belle and LaWanda McAllister)