Efforts to ensure a smooth election process were outlined in a report presented by the top Election System administrator to the Board of Elections at a meeting earlier this week. The report included a record of preparation steps completed and steps to be taken ahead of the Aug. 3 Primary and Nov. 5 General Elections.
Actions taken by the board and the staff at the Election System of the Virgin Islands are intended to help the territory’s 55,607 registered voters cast ballots and have them counted efficiently. Among the number of names appearing on their rolls, elections officials count 30,037 active voters.
As she delivered the progress report, Supervisor of Elections Caroline Fawkes encouraged board members to assist with scheduled voter registration events and reminded them about two working sessions she hopes will take place between the board and the election system staff.
Since January, the system has added 363 new voters to its rolls. The last day for voters wishing to cast ballots in the Primary is July 3. Extended voter registration hours were announced for July 1, 2, and 3 at the Elections offices on St. Thomas and St. Croix and July 1 and 3 on St. John.
“We are in the next phase of preparation for the Primary Elections. Various mandated media announcements, Early Voting PSAs being completed, appearances on various radio talk shows who invite us, etc. We are confident the Primary Election will be executed successfully,” the supervisor said.
The report lists eight voting centers to be used to conduct the August primary: the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center at the University of the Virgin Islands Orville Kean Campus; the Sprung Shelter at Charlotte Amalie High School and the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Gymnasium; Julius E. Sprauve School Cafeteria and the Calabash Boom Community Center on St. John will serve as voting centers on Aug. 3.
On St. Croix, primary voters can cast ballots at the Rotary West Community Center in Frederiksted, the Educational Complex Gymnasium, and the David Canegata Community Center in Christiansted.
Early voting for the primaries will be conducted between Tuesday, July 16, and Tuesday, July 23, at the St. Thomas and St. Croix Election System Offices — Sunny Isle Shopping Center, Unit 26 on St. Croix, and Lockhart Gardens Shopping Center, Banco Popular Building — Second Floor on St. Thomas. Abbreviated Early Voting days are scheduled for St. John from Sunday, July 20 to Tuesday, July 23, at the St. John Marketplace, Suite II; Early Voting hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Board members voted to approve the supervisor’s recommendation to limit the number of paper ballots available for use in the primary to 10 percent. Applications for absentee ballots are underway, and the election system staff has reported eight requests that have been made so far.
Sample ballots are expected to be made available on June 28; Fawkes said a press release will be issued to let the public know when they arrive. The actual ballots to be used on Aug.3, she said, are on order. “I am awaiting the proposed shipment date from Election Systems and Software, probably next week,” the supervisor said.
The supervisor’s report shared at the June 26 Board of Elections meeting included several references to preparations being made in advance of the November General Election. Candidates for both the Aug. 3 and Nov. 5 votes have been certified by the system, she said.
Fawkes also reminded board members about a request to hold two working sessions and the goals to accomplish during those sessions. “Back in March, I requested two dates from the Board for Working Sessions prior to the end of May, however here we are in June, and none has been conducted. We need to discuss the changes in the processing of election results in order to have a smooth operation on election evenings – canvassing of ballots,” the supervisor said.
