The Cayman Islands Election Day 2005

The West Bay queue before polls opened


The election command centre as the results
come through

The queue early Wednesday morning outside
Savannah Polling station before polls open

Anthony Eden chats with well wishers early on
election morning and visits around Bodden Town.

Berna Thompson Cummins, PDA votes at
Mary Miller Hall GT.

Lucille Seymour, Dennie Warren Jr, and Kurt Tibbetts
at PPM Headquarters on Polling Day.

The action at PPM Headquarters on polling day.

Patrice Donalds chats outside the polling station with
Captain Paul Hurlston.

HE The Governor Bruce Dinwiddy chats with
Supervisor of Elections Kearney Gomez in the
Command Centre after dropping in to get an update
on the turnout around lunchtime on Election Day

Voting at Cayman Prep

Voters at George Hicks

The action at PPM Head quarters on polling day

Mary J Lawrence stops to pose after meeting her agent in Savannah	Mark Scotland arrives at BT Primary School.	Graham Walker at Bodden Town is enjoying his democratic right

Special Constable Michael Mendez working 330 yard zone in BT Primary School station.	The action at PPM Headquarters on polling day

Chuckie goes to vote.	Billy Reid arrives with his wife to vote in GT

Gilbert McLean in the district of BT on Election Day morning	Ossie Bodden visitng stations in the district pleased with turnout

Colford Scott, Deputy Supervisor of Elections checking out things at George Hicks polling station.	Bernie Bush turns up for  the vote in West Bay.

Dr Frank McField and family arrive at polling station	Spencer Bodden on Election Day

Thursday, May 12, 2005 

Before the results were known many of the candidates were very optimistic of their chances in Election 2005. The day began with voters queuing outside many of the polling stations as they waited for the doors to open for them to cast their vote. From early morning candidates were visiting the station in their districts and casting their own votes. In North Side Alex Johnson, Edna Moyle and Bo Miller all arrived shortly after the Polling Station opened. There was no hint of shouting or improper behaviour, as the people of North Side came forward, both young and old, who were well-represented, and there was a clear desire to observe the rules, and do everything in an orderly and respectable way. One voter who had apparently forgotten to take off her red PPM cap, breaking polling station rules was politely told to remove it – not by a warden as she approached the station but by another PPM supporter.

Most voters stayed tight lipped about who they had voted for but all their candidates spent much of the day chatting with voters despite the day’s hot sun.

In East End, the three police officers manning the entrance to the Civic Centre reported there had not been a hint of trouble or misconduct all day long as voters peacefully cast their vote and left, in the district with the highest turnout across the country with well over 91 percent of registered voters turning out.

There was only light traffic on the streets in George Town but voting was brisk at all the polling stations between 7:00 am and 8:00 am, with a consistent flow of traffic. Many voters were confused as to which polling station they needed to go to so voting officers checked names and directed people to the correct polling station if they were not at the right one. At George Hicks High School, voters were asked to turn off their cell phones.

Even with several people waiting in line, it took most voters about 15 minutes to go through the whole process of checking their name, collecting their ballot and putting it into the ballot box.

Beulah McField shook hands with people outside Cayman Prep after she had voted: “It was the easiest vote that I have ever done. The turnout at the polling stations has been great so far. I think the UDP is going to be very successful.”

Dr Frank McField arrived with his family around 9:45 and showed the first signs of tension in the UDP camp. “This is my third term and I think it is going to be really tight. I am really feeling the pressure. I have been feeling the stress so I think I am going to try and relax for the rest of the day - I voted UDP.”

Billy Reid, Chairman of the UDP, said polling had gone well in George Town and was confident his party would do well. “I thought the polling was well organised and took only a few minutes. UDP is the smart way to vote and I am expecting a landslide victory,” he said optimistically.

Ray Farrington who had been helping out with the PPM said he was watching out to make sure that people were not being influenced on their way to the polling stations. “I am also assisting any way I can. There have been very few problems so far. We did have a few UDP buses with signs carrying people to vote. Carrying people is okay but the signs are not allowed so they were asked to take them down and they did. I voted PPM,” said Mr Farrington.

Patrice Donalds, a registered voter, was really excited about voting in person. “In the last two elections, I voted by postal ballot because I was away at school so this is my first time voting in person. It seemed very efficient and fair,” she said.

Muzaffar and Sameena Soomro also voted at George Hicks High School.

“The voting went very smoothly and was very organised. They have to check your name first to make sure you are at the right polling station and then it took just a few minutes to vote,” said Mr Soomro.

Another George Town voter Jimmy Vernon said he picked his candidates based on employment for Caymanians.

“After working 22 years I lost my job about four years ago. I have a mortgage and a car, wife and children to take care of so it has been very tough. I do mechanic and welding work but it has been difficult to find a job that pays more than five or six dollars an hour so that I can take care of my family. Then I see the airplanes coming in with all kinds of nationalities and they have a job the next day.”

Special Constable Harvel Grant whose day began at 6 am was in charge of traffic at the George Town Primary School station.

“I am making sure that only people who are coming to vote or living in the neighborhood are coming through,” he said.

Over in Bodden Town candidates spent time talking with voters and voting themselves as well as checking on their agents and ensuring all was going well.

Osbourne Bodden with the PPM who were well organised was very pleased with the day’s voting.

“It’s going well; there seems to be a very good turn out,” he said when he was in the district. Charles Clifford, Mary J Lawrence, Gilbert McLean, Mark Scotland and Sandra Catron were highly visible but it seemed to be Anthony Eden that drew the crowds of well-wishers wherever he went.

Over on the Sister Islands the candidates had an easy day but both Moses Kirkconnell and Julianna O’Connor Connolly, the district’s strongest candidates, mingled with voters.

In West Bay voters were queuing at polling stations way before the appointed seven o’clock hour. By the time stations officially opened, lengthy lines of voters and hosts of cars parked on streets surrounding the stations could be seen.

Only fifty minutes after stations opened some voters were seen walking away. One was heard to have said, “I am going to be in this line for too long. I will have to come back.”

Dalkeith Bothwell of the West Bay Alliance mid morning said: “I have never felt so much calm. At WB East they have seen some seventy per cent of the voters they expect. And I think that the level of voting is good and I am sure that it is about the same in other divisions.

“In former elections, there would be more heckling. There was none this time around. As well, Cline Glidden, Rolston, Eugene and ourselves all embraced when we saw each other.”

Over at PPM headquarters as the day went on Kurt Tibbetts was quietly confident that the PPM could expect a favourable result across the country. “Voter turnout was consistent and I’m confident that we will take seats here in George Town. I must say this has been a challenging campaign but the country is ready for a change.”

Lucille Seymour was suffering from the flu she was still working hard on the election day but was also very confident that the PPM would get the result they wanted. She was full of praise for the people that had worked hard on the PPM campaign especially the young people and she was convinced that enough people had told her that this was her time. Having come within a whisper of Dr Frank McField in the last election Ms Seymour was hoping to take a seat this time. “We have had such an encouraging campaign, one we can be proud of that could stand against others anywhere and the issues have really come from the people,’ said Ms Seymour. “I’m looking forward to being in a government that is inclusive and addresses the needs of the people.”

There were great expectations throughout the day from West Bay through to the Sister Islands but above all the vote was well organised and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service reported a very quite day with no disturbances at any polling stations.

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