Nov. 21, 2006 For the third and final time since Sept. 9, voters filed to the polls Tuesday to choose the next governor of the Virgin Islands John deJongh or Kenneth Mapp. While officials report that turnout has been steady, many have noted a falloff compared to the general election.
In an unusual development, as of 3 p.m. the voter turnout on St. Croix was higher than on St. Thomas, which traditionally posts higher voter numbers.
Corrine Plaskett, deputy supervisor of Elections, said the 3 p.m. count was "about 4 percent less on St. Croix. And on St. Thomas, it looks like theyre running 6 percent or 7 percent lower."
On St. Croix , Plaskett said at 3 p.m. there was a 41 percent turnout, compared to 45.5 percent turnout in the general election.
Plaskett said St. Thomas had a 33.71 percent turnout, as compared to 40 percent turnout previously. However, Plaskett noted, the polls dont close until 7 p.m.
The polling officers at the various schools agreed on one thing: the voting has been slow, but steady.
More than 30 voters were lined up at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School before 7 a.m. Tuesday, but it was hard to tell if that was a good indication for a strong turnout.
Hulbert Lewis, Elections Office voting machine consultant, was hurrying to the Cancryn doors. "I usually go to the office first," he said, "but I decided to do an inspection now at all the polls." He said he had started at 6 a.m., adding that "so far everything is working fine."
Campaign workers lined the gates of all the polling places, but not in the numbers shown during the primary and general elections. Despite the smaller numbers, their enthusiasm hadnt visibly dimmed. Shouts of "Vote for No. 1!" and "Choose No. 2" boomed out from deJongh and Mapp supporters.
Vincent Thomas, standing in line at Cancryn, was taking it all in stride. "I always vote early," he said. "And this looks about right for this time of day. I've been voting here for 15 or 16 years."
By noon, it really depended on whom you talked to in order to get a feel for voter turnout.
Supporters for both gubernatorial candidates have been urging folks to get out and vote. There is speculation that since this is the third election, voter fatigue may have set in. That fear was expressed by some campaign workers Tuesday, who said they were starting a telephone campaign to contact voters they hadnt yet seen.
Maria Ayala, polling precinct judge at Abraham, was optimistic. "We had 426 vote by 10 a.m.," she said. "Its been steady. We have a total of 1,048 for the general election, and it looks like well have half that by noon today."
Two of the most enthusiastic campaign workers at Abraham were too young to vote, but that didnt dampen their efforts. Seated comfortably beneath a shade tree, Dejon Leigh Sierra, 6, and her pal, Michael Vante, 13, bounded up to urge folks to "Vote for No. 1."
Sierra said, "Were doing it for mommy." "Mommy" is Winnika Phillips, an avid deJongh supporter. "He is a businessman," Phillips said. "He is a family man, and I feel comfortable with him."
Andrene Mills agreed. "And he wont be influenced by cronies," she said.
At Ulla Muller Elementary School, Alton Adams was discouraged. "This is a terrible turnout," he said about 10:30 a.m. Shaking his head, he said, "I think the rift between St. Thomas and St. Croix is wider than it's been in years."
Interviewed on WVWI Radio One early in the day, deJongh said, "Its down to the wire now, and every vote counts. We just want everybody to push No. 1. We had a fantastic greeting in Coral Bay. People said the voters were coming in exceeding the general election."
Asked about the negative ads that have surfaced in the past week, deJongh said, "First of all, theyre telling me to stay on message, stay focused on issues about children, education and health care. I wont respond. I think its unfortunate pitting island against island," he said. "That's not what I want, and I hope and pray thats not what the people of the V.I. want."
Mapp, also interviewed by Radio One, voiced a positive experience on St. John also. "Im really pleased. I got a much warmer and friendlier greeting [on St. John]. Folks are telling us they got our backs. They say we should have accentuated our message earlier. I am very confident."
At 5 p.m., 732 persons had voted at Cancryn, according to poll judge Maria Turbe. As people were steadily filing in, she said she expected a lot more between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. when folks get off work.
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