Opposition Commissioners say Recount can be done in 10 days

A recount of all the votes cast in the 2020 General and Regional Elections could reasonably take about 10 days, with the right arrangements. This is the view of the Commissioners nominated by the Leader of the Opposition. Their plan was presented Thursday at the Commission’s High Street, Kingston office. Commissioner Robeson Benn had been quite incensed, the day before, by a plan proposed by Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, for which the arrangements saw such a recount lasting 156 days. But according to explanations given by both Commissioners Gunraj and Vincent Alexander yesterday, the arrangements which led to the production of Lowenfield’s initial plan were limited by instructions of the Commission, especially as it relates to the number of workstations being used. Alexander said that it is instructive to note that when the CEO proposed 156 days, he arrived at that duration on two main premises. These are the time it would take to count one ballot box and the number of Commissioners to be present at each workstation.

It appears that it was Lowenfield’s understanding, after seeking clarity from the Commission, that it would take an average of two hours to count one box. Secondly, the Commissioner who criticized Lowenfield’s initial plan as impractical and unhelpful is the very Commissioner who had indicated that there should be two Commissioners at each workstation, according to information provided by Alexander. Hence, while public outcry expressed the need to have more workstations, it was only logical for Lowenfield’s secretariat to conclude, at the time, that there would be only three workstations, as there are six Commissioners.

“It is rather unfortunate that [when] the CEO follows on from what we have said to him… he is lambasted by Commissioners in the public,” Alexander said. “It is very unfortunate that that is the manner of conduct of GECOM.” Gunraj explained, now that that has been cleared up, that the removal of such a restriction means the number of workstations can easily be expanded. Gunraj made a proposal for the number of workstations to be increased from three to 20. While a significant increase to the number of workstations would logically reduce the duration of the recount, the Commission has to take into consideration the implications of COVID-19 and the necessary safety measures.

(Kaieteur News)