…GECOM cautions against obstruction, molestation, and interference at polling places
Some 10,481 ranks of the Disciplined Services – the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Defence Force (GDF), and Guyana Prison Services (GPS) – are set to cast their ballots today, ahead of the upcoming General and Regional Elections on September 1, 2025.
As customary during any elections, members of the disciplined services are required to vote 10 days prior to the polling day so that they are available for posting at the various polling stations and other strategic locations as required by law without disenfranchising them.
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) had indicated that some 6909 ranks from the GPF are listed to vote, 3106 ranks from the GDF and 466 ranks from the GPS. Though the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) is often included as a member of the joint services, those members will be voting on Elections Day and are not catered for on D-Day.
The ranks will be voting at 87 balloting stations across the country and will be voting using ballot papers in accordance with the district that the ranks are from.
Each polling station will be provided with a list of the ranks who are qualified to vote at each respective balloting station. When the ranks vote, their names will be crossed off the disciplined services list provided at the ballot station.
Ranks who do not vote on D-Day will still have the opportunity to vote in their respective district as per normal on Election Day.
While there are 87 balloting stations, there will only be 63 ballot boxes, with some polling stations sharing ballot boxes due to the remote nature of the location.
The balloting stations were gazetted on August 9, with six stations in Region One; four stations in Region Two; four stations in Region Three; 30 in Region Four; two in Region Five; six in Region Six; another six in Region Seven; two in Region Eight; another two in Region Nine; and five stations in Region 10.
Meanwhile, the ballots cast today will not be counted separately. The disciplined services ballots are kept under seal and guarded until Election Day. The Disciplined Services ballots are sent to regular polling stations on Election Day and are intermixed with regular ballot papers before they are counted. The intermixing is done to protect the voter privacy of the ranks, as well as uphold fairness and secrecy.
“We are well-poised for the conduct of this election, of these elections on Friday. All of the logistical arrangements have been made. At this point in time, there is nothing, aside from maybe force majeure, that can prevent such conduct,” Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Aneal Giddings, had declared during a press conference on Monday.
According to the Deputy CEO, the sensitive election materials, including ballot papers, statements of poll and tally sheets, arrived from Canada earlier this month. Following their arrival, GECOM immediately began the process of extracting and packaging ballots for Guyanese diplomatic missions abroad, disciplined services and the returning officers across the 10 administrative regions. It was noted that a total of 92 ballots were dispatched to 20 overseas diplomatic missions to facilitate non-resident electors. Of that number, two sealed ballot boxes have already been returned and are in the secure custody of the Chief Elections Officer, Vishnu Persaud, as required by law.
“We are well poised for the conduct of these elections on Friday. All of the logistical arrangements have been made,” the DCEO noted, adding that the Commission has been guaranteed security for polling stations along border communities.
“We have been guaranteed security… [but] the plans are not final. We are yet to resume our talks on this, for them to tell us exactly what will be in place and what could be our expectations. But the answer is yes. As a result of our collaboration that we have, we have constant communication with particularly the police and the joint services as a grouping. And as part of that, these things came out. As a matter of fact, they raised it as one of their concerns,” Giddings indicated to reporters earlier this week.
Obstruction & Interference
Meanwhile, as it prepares for both Disciplined Forces Balloting and the conduct of the Elections on September 1, GECOM on Thursday reminded the general public of the statutory provisions as they relate to annoyance, molestation, interference and obstruction during the electoral process.
Specifically, the Commission pointed out that Section 78 of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) enacts that, “No person shall anywhere within a distance of two hundred yards of a polling place annoy, molest or otherwise interfere with an elector or attempt to obtain any information as to the list of candidates for whom any elector in the polling place is about to vote or has voted either on his own behalf or as a proxy on behalf of another elector.”
According to the elections body, the term “no person” indicates a total prohibition because it creates a broad absolute restriction for everyone, leaving no room for exceptions or specific allowances for certain individuals or groups.
Further, the Commission noted that Section 78(A) is instructive, as it provides that “any person who, without due authority, obstructs or otherwise interferes with access to or egress from a polling place or the voting at an election by any person registered as an elector…shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of sixty-five thousand dollars together with imprisonment for a term of one year…”
Additionally, Section 79(b) of the Representation of the People Act clearly outlines the persons entitled to be at a polling place, polling station, and at a count.
“It is therefore against this backdrop that GECOM finds it necessary to advise all persons to abide by the legal provisions and avoid committing any of the above-stated election offences. The Commission anticipates the orderly and peaceful conduct of the polls and remains confident in delivering free, fair, transparent and credible elections,” the missive from the Elections Commission stated.
