REAL NEWS: Supervisor of Elections Ian Hughes says the country has outgrown the old format of counting ballots at a central location after an election. Accordingly, he will be pushing for a change in the legislation.
Based on the current law, ballots from the respective polling districts are transported to a central location, where the returning officer is mandated to count the votes in all the boxes within a particular constituency.
But in an interview last month, Hughes said he would prefer to see ballots counted at the respective polling stations – where persons actually cast their vote, instead.
Therefore, he will be advocating for the Parliament to make the legislative adjustments, since this would see election results returned at a much earlier time than the current norm.
Hughes admits that the current set-up is tedious, since, in some cases, one person has to count 5,000 ballots – after having performed earlier duties while the voting was taking place.
The Supervisor says that his proposal can be accomplished. He recalls that a similar action was taken in 2019, when there was a referendum to replace the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
In that instance, he says, the results were ready by 8 p.m.
He notes, however, that, with a new system, there would have to be an audit the day after the elections.
Further, Hughes says that with any new system or process, re- training and re-tooling will be of the utmost importance. Therefore, those involved in the electoral process would be required to undergo training if the counting process changes.
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I told you that this man is a man of integrity, and I’m not surprised that he’s hit the ground running in his new position as Supervisor of Elections.
We need more people in high office of this calibration so that Antiguans can believe in honesty and integrity for once.
A good appointment.
ALL THE BEST IN YOUR NEW ENDEAVOUR MR HUGHES 🙏🏽
A good appointment I agreed. However, to keep his integrity is another thing- and yes he has the ability to do so. I will not back him for 1 minute if his wife , his niece and other family members continues to play any role in our elections. Everybody knows everybody in Antigua. Let your wife be your confidante at home/ privately and no more a returning officer Mr. Hughes. Don’t be like the PM – the African Saga and Alpha Nero Saga – stubborn and hardheaded. Take heed ⚠️.
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