Lindsay files complaint over unaccompanied ballot boxes

(CMR) Alric Lindsay, the candidate for George Town South, has filed a complaint with the Elections Office over unaccompanied ballot boxes.

In a letter to Supervisor of Elections Wesley Howell, Lindsay said at approximately 3:45 pm, on Wednesday, Phillip Barnes arrived at the George Town South polling station with at least three mobile postal ballot boxes. Lindsay said he expressed concerns about why one of his agents was not asked to accompany the ballot boxes.

“I raised this question because it occurred to me that that would be the prudent thing to do and a best practice to enhance transparency and accountability. Mr. Barnes stated that a police officer was present to observe the removal of the ballot boxes from a safe and that the seals were still on the ballot boxes,” Lindsay wrote.

“While I do not question the honesty of Mr. Barnes, who I've known most of my life, I do have serious concerns regarding this process.”

Among the concerns, Lindsay raised was how boxes were accounted for.  He questioned, “If neither the candidates nor the agents are informed in advance of ballot box movements, and one or more goes missing, then how would the Elections Office account for missing ballot boxes?”

Lindsay also wanted to know if a box was missing if all eligible voters would be asked to vote again.

“Will the candidate's agents be asked to inspect the seal of the mobile ballot boxes delivered today BEFORE they are opened and “mixed” with other ballot boxes at the GTS polling station,” Lindsay asked.

He also wanted to know how a candidate or agent obtain comfort that a seal was not broken and then professionally resealed to give the appearance that the seal was not broken.

Lindsay also questioned if a surveillance camera is present when candidates or agents do not travel with ballot boxes.

“Transparency and accountability in elections are very serious matters, and if something is overlooked or if a process lacks independent oversight, then election fraud could occur (notwithstanding the previous unblemished record of the Supervisor of Elections),” he added.

Lindsay called for an investigation into today's events and asked that the Elections Office explains its position as it relates to transparency and accountability in relation to the movement of ballot boxes unsupervised by candidates or agents.