Sept. 20, 2006 – Gubernatorial candidate John deJongh and running mate Gregory Francis claimed the No. 1 slot on the November ballot during the casting of lots Wednesday at territorywide elections offices.
DeJongh, whose son Julien pulled the lot for his father on St. Thomas, got the honor to go ahead of the two other gubernatorial teams because his team was the first to register with the elections office, according to Supervisor of Elections John Abramson.
Abramson employed the same rule with all other candidates seeking positions on the ballot for the Nov. 7 general election. Each candidate or a representative, acting in the order in which they registered, pulled a folded slip of paper from a box with a number indicating their lot. On St. Croix, Elections Administrative Assistant Tricia Johnson cast lots for those who were not present Wednesday.
The Kenneth Mapp/Almando "Rocky" Liburd team was second and Liburd, present at the St. Thomas elections office, chose the No. 2 slot. Liburd's choice automatically decided the placement for the third and final gubernatorial team, that of Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg Jr. and Dr. Cora Christian.
Incumbent Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen also garnered the No. 1 spot on the ballot, leaving the second-place spot for contender Warren B. Mosler. At-large Sen. Craig Barshinger also got a top spot, pulling No. 4. His opponent, Carmen Miranda Wesselhoft, got the No. 5 spot.
On St. Croix, Sen. Usie Richards was the only incumbent to garner a high spot on the ballot, No. 6.
On St. Thomas, Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone cast No. 7. All other top spots in both districts went to newcomers.
On St. Thomas, 16 candidates are running for seven Senate seats, including incumbent Sen. Louis Patrick Hill, who will be No. 18 on the ballot; Sen. Liston Davis, No. 12; and Sen. Celestino White Sr., No. 17.
On St. Croix, 18 candidates are vying for seven seats. In addition to Richards, the incumbents on St. Croix are Sens. Neville James, No. 15; Ronald E. Russell, No. 18; Terrence "Positive" Nelson, No. 20; Juan Figueroa-Serville, No. 19; and Norman Jn Baptiste, No. 21.
Abramson predicts a large turnout for the general election.
"If the primary is any small indication, it's pretty safe to say that it will be — the gubernatorial aspirants have generated a lot of interest," Abramson said. "This one seems to be a little more action packed."
Elections staff members are meeting with polling place judges to avoid repeating a problem that occurred at Juanita Gardine Elementary on Sept. 9, Abramson said. After the polls closed, election board members discovered the cartridge from that polling place was blank. They were able to read off the results from a backup paper copy.
Absentee voting will be allowed up to Oct. 18, or 14 business days before the Nov. 7 general election. The Elections Office will print a "substantial amount" of absentee ballots because of the large number of individuals expected to vote. Abramson said he could not immediately give an exact number of absentee ballots, but he estimated it would be more than the number mailed out in the primary.
"So far everything is pretty much on target," he said. "It's my strong hope and anticipation that everything will go well."
The Nov. 7 election is a holiday in the Virgin Islands, but residents who must work are legally guaranteed time off to vote.
Governor/Lieutenant Governor Lot Number
John deJongh/Gregory Francis 1
Kenneth Mapp/Almando "Rocky" Liburd 2
Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg/Dr. Cora Christian 3
Delegate to Congress
Donna M. Christensen 1
Warren B. Mosler 2
Senator At-Large
Craig W. Barshinger 4
Carmen M. Wesselhoft 5
Senate, St. Croix District
Usie Raymond Richards 6
George Moore 7
Luther F. Renee 8
Hope Gibson 9
Wayne James 10
Troy D. Mason 11
Gosnel Matthew 12
Luis "Luisito" Garcia 13
Naomi "Sandra" Joseph 14
Neville James 15
Jimi Weber III 16
Michael Thurland 17
Ronald E. Russell 18
Juan Figueroa-Serville 19
T. "Positive" Nelson 20
Norman Jn Baptiste 21
Gonzalo Rivera 22
Rhea D. Dowling 23
Senate, St. Thomas District
Lorelei Monsanto 6
Sydney Flax 7
Rev. Toi A. Barbel 8
Carlton "Ital" Dowe 9
Ludrick "Ludie" Thomas 10
Patrick Simeon Sprauve 11
Liston Davis 12
Norma Pickard-Samuel 13
Alvin L. Williams 14
Horace T. Brooks 15
Basil Ottley, Jr. 16
Celestino A. White Sr. 17
Louis Patrick Hill 18
Leslie A. Smith, II 19
Stephen Smokey Frett 20
Ada Hodge 21
Board of Elections, St. Croix
Rupert W. Ross Jr. 1
Reuben Fenton 2
Jacqueline J. Heyliger 3
Raymond J. Williams 4
Board of Elections, St. Thomas
Patricia Rogers 1
Darien L. Wheatley 2
Arturo Watlington Jr. 3
Claudette A. Georges 4
George Blackhall 5
Albion Lambertis 6
Sydney Flax 7
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