Polling Stations and Shelters: Is There an Overlap?

Josephine Tamai

Are polling stations in flood affected areas, particularly in Cayo District, being used as shelters to house displaced families?  The situation in the west is being watched closely and, if a decision is to be made to reassign new polling stations, it has to be done by Tuesday with all logistical considerations in place ahead of November eleventh.  Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai says that the Elections and Boundaries Department has been working very closely with the National Emergency Management Organization on that front.

Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer

“The flooding situation is something that we are monitoring very closely.  We know that we are having challenges in some of our polling stations which quite possibly those might have to be relocated.  If persons are able to get to their polling stations to vote this coming Wednesday and so this is something that we are presently working on and as the day progresses, you know, things change as we go along.  So we might have recommendations for changes at this time.  In the next couple hours we have to look at making recommendations for other changes to be made if those are necessary at this point in time.  Because as much as we going into election we want to ensure that we have the safety of the public officers and also safety of the voters in terms of those persons getting out to cast their votes.”

Marleni Cuellar

“I believe there are eight shelters opened so far.  Any of those shelters scheduled to be polling stations?”

Josephine Tamai

“Well, I have been communicating with NEMO over the weekend and they have a list of those stations.  So unless there is a need for them to use those as shelters then they will be using them.”