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APNU urges ban on cell phones in polling booths to curb vote buying
Presidential Candidate of APNU Aubrey Norton
Kaieteur News – The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is calling on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to ban electors from taking cell phones into polling booths during the upcoming general and regional elections, arguing that it is necessary to preserve the secrecy of the ballot and prevent vote buying.
The appeal was made following a majority decision by GECOM to allow voters to enter the booths with their cell phones. Opposition-appointed commissioner Vincent Alexander, said the decision was supported by government-appointed commissioners and chairperson, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, despite objections from opposition commissioners.
Alexander expressed concerns that allowing phones in the voting booth could facilitate vote-buying schemes. He said there have been reports of voters being paid to vote for specific parties, with cell phone photos of marked ballots used as proof to collect payment. “There is a rumor that people are being paid to vote for specific parties so what happens when they enter the polling booths, they take a picture to show to the party as proof of how they voted…There was also an instance a few years back of persons voting and taking a picture of the ballot and posting it as soon as they left the polling station. These are the things we are trying to avoid,” Alexander said.
In a statement issued Friday, APNU echoed Alexander’s concerns and called for a strict ban on phones in the voting compartment where ballots are marked. “These elections are likely to see the biggest effort in our history to buy votes. Such a scheme is severely undermined when an elector is unable to provide a photograph of his or her marked ballot to the vote buyer. An election in which votes are bought will not reflect the will of the people,” APNU stated.
APNU also warned voters to be cautious, suggesting that the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) should be viewed with suspicion since their appointed GECOM commissioners voted in favor of allowing cell phones in polling booths. “The APNU coalition would advise voters in general that, to avoid suspicion, they should avoid any handling of their cell phones in the polling booth,” the party said.
The party further reminded the public of legal penalties for violating electoral laws, including fines of up to $65,000 and imprisonment of up to two years for offenses such as displaying a marked ballot, bribing or attempting to influence voters, accepting bribes in exchange for votes, and impersonating a voter.
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