An international mission of election observers has commended the territory on its peaceful and fair election, and found that while a complaint about the ballot-handling process on Advance Polling Day was valid, the issue did not impact the results.
“The election observer mission believes that the Virgin Islands 2015 election was genuine, vibrant and competitive,” said observer Stephen Rodan, the speaker of the House of Keys in the Isle of Man. “The election met key international standards, providing the voters an opportunity to cast their vote in secret and express their will in a transparent, peaceful and orderly manner.”
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday morning, Mr. Rodan also commended voters on their “enthusiasm and commitment to the democratic process,” citing a high voter turnout.
As yet, he added, there has been only one complaint, which VIP Chairman Julian Fraser submitted to the Governor’s Office on Saturday.
Mr. Fraser’s letter alleged that ballots were improperly handled on Advance Polling Day in the First, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth districts. He claimed that those problems — which he said included a failure to properly seal ballot papers in envelopes — could “nullify the sanctity and sacredness” of polling done on Friday.
But the observers thought otherwise.
“The closing process in relation to placing and sealing ballots into envelopes was not performed in the majority of polling stations,” Mr. Rodan said, adding that this is a breach of section 49(1) of the Elections Act.
While the breach was “a clear failure by some returning officers to follow correct procedures,” the transfer and counting of those ballots took place in the presence of police officers and representatives from the political parties, Mr. Rodan said.
“As such, the mission does not feel that this compromised the secrecy of the ballot or the polling results,” he added.
See the June 11, 2015 edition for full coverage.