Editorial
So thePeople Shall Know
A record number of candidates- 57 - to be exact, will contest the General Elections to be heldon 8th November. While the issues emerging from the politicalplatform seem to be rather uniform, by the sheer number of candidates,voters will have much to contemplate in making their final selectionon Election Day.
Those who follow the election campaigns keenly may try to assessa candidate's political support by looking at indicators suchas support at political meetings and public feedback to campaignissues and promotions. While these may provide some superficialgauge, without a properly conducted poll, there is still a lackof a scientific measure of how any candidate ranks alongside his/hercontenders.
In most Western democracies, polling is an integral part of anypolitical race and is one way in which candidates assess the levelof their support as well as understand where that support liesand the issues that influence voting behaviour. Some politicalpundits argue that polls can and do influence voting patterns,especially among uncommitted voters, who are more likely to committo a particular candidate based on what the polls indicate asthe public's perception of that candidate's ability to win.
In the United States, polls play a critical role in the conductof election campaigns. With the presidential race heating up,voters are now being surveyed almost daily and polls are takenafter major campaign events such as debates and addresses to particularblocks of voters.
American news organisations approach polling seriously and allthe major media houses commission and conduct polls as part oftheir election coverage and as an extension to the public servicethey provide as purveyors of information. Their surveys are alsoused, as intended, to set the agenda for debate on political issuesand therefore become intrinsic to the cut and thrust of the democraticexercise.
Here in the Cayman Islands, polling has not been a critical factorin elections over the years.
One organisation has released information gleaned from a surveyof voters last month. It gives general indications of how votersfeel about government performance and spending and the issue ofthe proposed five-year work permit rollover.
Still, there has been no exercise that polls voters on their choiceof candidates, either on a district or countrywide basis. Thisnewspaper, in the coming weeks, will attempt to fill this void,and to provide the means for additional information to votersas they prepare to choose their representatives on Election Day.
Cayman Net News, in conjunction with the International Collegeof the Cayman Islands (ICCI), will poll a representative sampleof registered voters in each district, in two surveys betweennext week and 8th November.
As with its presentation of news and information, impartiality,fairness and accuracy will underline Cayman Net News' conductof these polls. The sample list has been derived from data providedthrough the professional and technical expertise of Cable &Wireless. ICCI students, under adult supervision will be the pollstersand certified accountants will verify the results.
What can the polls tell us?
They will be a barometer of the way voters are thinking and willprovide the scientific data for these trends.
Cayman Net News' objective in this exercise is simply part ofits mandate: "That the people shall know." With theextensive field of 57 candidates contesting this election, itis our hope that our contributions and promotion to the democraticprocess will provide clear and accurate information, to assistvoters in properly exercising their franchise and making informeddecisions about who they will seek to represent them as the firstelected administration in this new millennium.