Woman distressed at voting challenge
A woman who was on an objection list submitted to the Parliamentary Registrar said she was upset that the United Bermuda Party questioned her right to vote in Smith's North.
But the UBP have said they participated in the bipartisan process and included names of people whose voter information mail was repeatedly returned or they believed that they had moved out of the constituency to a list of objections.
The Progressive Labour Party have reiterated that they believe the UBP is trying to disenfranchise voters.
But the Parliamentary Registrar again stressed that no one had been taken off the list of registered voters.
June Bean was one of the 84 people the UBP objected to in Smith North, where Mr. Dunkley is running against Patrice Minors.
Mrs. Bean said she has never seen a UBP spokesman, canvaser or Mr. Dunkley and did not know why her name had been added to the list.
"I have been living in this constituency for years," she said. "I voted at the last election in this constituency. I don't know why I was added to the list but I will be voting for the PLP, that is my party. I am vexed that I ended up on the objection list."
Yesterday Parliamentary Registrar Randy Scott said the people objected to by both parties had not been struck off the list. He reiterated they would be able to vote in this election, unless challenged at the poll.
A UBP scrutineer who assisted in compiling the list and did not want to be named said the party had compiled the list based on i) several pieces of voter information mail to residences being marked 'return to sender' ii) visiting houses to try and ascertain who lived where and iii) talking with neighbours who said people had moved elsewhere.
He said there was nothing sinister in the exercise: "We compiled our list and passed it on the Parliamentary Registrar, who then gave a copy to the PLP scrutineer as is required by law. Once both parties voiced their concerns and gave information about the different individuals the Parliamentary Registrar made his decision.
"Ms Bean's named ended up on the list because no one had seen her on their visits and her mail was returned."
On Sunday Mr. Dunkley admitted that in three instances the phrase "does not live here — registered to vote against Mr. Dunkley" appeared on the UBP list, but said the second phrase was a subjective comment. He said his party had participated in the exercise because it was a bipartisan political process that was set up under PLP legislation.
Yesterday PLP Chairman David Burt accused the Opposition of practising of "voter intimidation"and said his party was not trying to play political football with the Parliamentary Registrar but wanted to point out the "unprecedented " amount of objections the UBP had made.
