EBC: 13,824 special electors begin voting

A total of 13,284 special electors are eligible to vote in the August 14 local government elections, and began voting on August 7.

They can vote until Sunday, but will not be allowed to vote on August 14.

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) explained this in a statement on Monday.

The EBC said, "In accordance with Election Rule 60 (2) a special elector must cast the ballot in the manner and at the time and place fixed for casting of votes of special electors."

Special voters will vote at polling stations across Trinidad.The commission said these polling stations will operate daily from Monday-Sunday, from 9 am-3 pm.

Additional special polling stations, the EBC continued, have also been set up. These stations will operate between Tuesday and Thursday, from 9 am-3 pm.

The locations of all polling stations can be found at the EBC's website, www.ebctt.com

The EBC said special electors "are only eligible to vote during the periods stated below and cannot vote on poll day."

It said Election Rule 59 of the Representation of the People Act, Chap 2:01 identifies the categories of people eligible to be treated as special electors.

They include members of the police service; the defence force; special reserve and estate police officers; members of the EBC; election candidates or their spouses in the electoral district where the candidate is registered; election agents or sub-agents in the electoral district they are registered in; patients in public or private hospitals; inmates in a public institution; members of the flight crew of an aircraft; and people working in offshore petroleum operations; or a person or member of any other organisation the EBC sees fit.

The commission reminded special electors that the deadline for collecting their special-elector envelopes is Friday. It said special electors must present a valid form of national ID when collecting the envelope at the registration area office they provided on their application form.