Housing Development Corporation (HDC) Carlton Lane tenants from the San Fernando West constituency, who were relocated to Corinth Hills in San Fernando East, say they are confused as to where they should go to vote in the September 7 polls.
They are now calling on the Elections and Boundaries Commission to send a team to their area to provide proper guidelines on voting procedures.
In an interview, Kafi Mann, a member of the Carlton Lane Community Group, said they had been living at Corinth Hills, Ste Madeleine, for over two and a half years after HDC relocated them to facilitate upgrades to the dilapidated Carlton Lane apartments. She said the arrangement was meant to be temporary as residents were promised first preference to purchase the Carlton Lane apartments once they were completed. As such, most people did not change their addresses.
She said last month, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said any resident who chose to stay at Corinth Hills was welcome to do so. This led some people to consider changing their addresses to Corinth Hills where they resided.
However, she explained, when some residents went to the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) office to get clarification on where to vote, they were told that any change of address at this point would be considered voter padding. Mann, who is campaigning for the People’s National Movement (PNM), also said that some residents were told that if they voted in Carlton Lane, they would be charged because they no longer resided there. “Since I began canvassing with the PNM, many people are really concerned and we want the EBC to give us proper information. We cannot be denied of our chance to vote,” Mann said. She said another EBC official told them they had until July 23 to change their addresses.
EBC RESPONDS
Contacted yesterday, EBC’s communications manager Dominic Hinds said all residents who had been relocated to temporary addresses while their facilities were being upgraded would continue to be registered at the previous addresses on the electoral list, unless they had informed the EBC of their new locations. He said this new address would have to be verified by the EBC through a field investigation. He also said that electoral registration would commence on Tuesday, July 14, and continue until July 23.
“This will be the final opportunity for persons to have their registration status updated before the parliamentary elections. Once this registration period is completed a revised list will then be published at a date to be determined and this will be the final list which will be used for electors,” Hinds said.