Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vishnu Persaud, has clarified that political party representatives do not have the authority to suspend or halt operations at polling stations. This statement follows a recent incident involving A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) agent Carol Smith-Joseph, who disrupted voting by members of the Disciplined Services on August 22.
During a press conference on Monday, Persaud addressed the situation where Smith-Joseph was seen on video stating, “Voting will stop because I will not allow the voting to take place because it is my interest and my party’s interest.” Her objections focused on the arrangement of voting compartments, which she claimed hindered her ability to monitor the use of cellphones inside the booths.
Persaud firmly reiterated that the responsibility for polling station operations lies solely with GECOM. “No stakeholder has any authority to stop the operations of a polling station,” he asserted.
In response to concerns regarding cellphone use at polling booths, GECOM has implemented a complete ban to protect the secrecy of the ballot and prevent potential vote-selling schemes. Clear signage will be displayed at polling stations, and voters will be required to switch off their phones before entering the voting area. Designated tables will also be provided for voters to leave their devices while casting their ballots.
Despite these measures, images of ballots from the Disciplined Services vote surfaced online. Persaud acknowledged that GECOM had seen the photos but could not confirm their origin or authenticity. He noted that any violations observed during the voting process would be documented by polling staff and reported to the police after the elections.
Persaud also recognized that some voting compartments were not optimally positioned, which limited visibility for accredited agents while ensuring voter privacy. He assured that pictorial guidelines would be issued to standardize the arrangement of compartments across the country.
“This is the first time such a measure has been implemented, so it is a testing ground for us,” he explained, adding that lessons learned from the Disciplined Services vote would help enhance arrangements for the upcoming General and Regional Elections on September 1.
On election day, Deputy Returning Officers will be responsible for enforcing the rules, including the ban on cellphones and the proper setup of voting compartments. Persaud emphasized that while party agents have a role in observing the process, the final authority over polling operations rests exclusively with GECOM.
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