Why should they vote?

For the Government, the question is: what more can you do with another term? For the Opposition, it is a call for new ideas. So say political experts, who argue that neither of Jamaica’s two main political parties, in a “run-of-the-mill” election, can spur an uptick in a dwindling voter turnout.

The pundits claim it is largely an election of who benefits from political resources, composed of individuals on both sides, with little political stability or desire for nation-building. And, with little improvement in conditions for Jamaicans, some believe the island’s polling stations on election day will continue to serve far below capacity, or even lower than the 2020 general election.

“The issue facing the electorate is, what are the politicians doing to better their individual lives? For the Government – What have you done, and why do you need more time? To do what? Have you kept your promise, and have you been a good steward?” charged political scientist Dr Paul Ashley, who emphasised the disappointment of some members of the electorate, even diehards, who he believes are more willing to vote out, and not so much to vote in new leaders.

“For the other side, we need to hear, ideally, how you are going to do what you say you are going to do. We have stopped buying ‘puss in a bag’. The PNP [Opposition People’s National Party] has to come with some well-established plans, but they have started late,” said Ashley, noting that while the Opposition is reliant on voters who are fed up with the Government, the party must be mindful that Jamaicans grow distrustful of candidates who are repeatedly moved from one constituency to the next.

“Every vote has to be gained. The argument about diehards is wearing thin. The diehards are the people who would vote you out because they are not satisfied with your performance. Therefore, they might not vote for you. They might stay at home,” warned the veteran analyst, adding that even the long-standing practice of buying votes has lost its flame.

According to data provided by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), it has cost the country more than $87.4 million to import special templates on which to print ballots for the last four elections. Of that sum, $53.7 million has gone down the drain because a high percentage of Jamaicans continue to shun their democratic right to vote.

Jamaica has held four elections since 2016. Two of those have been general elections and the other two local, with the general elections seeing an average 42 per cent voter turnout from among approximately two million eligible voters.

According to the EOJ data, 8.3 million blank templates (security paper) were imported to print ballots for the four elections, and of the eight million printed, only approximately 2.3 million were used.

This means that some 5.1 million ballots had to be discarded; and these are not the only costs, explained Glasspole Brown, director of elections.

“There are others relating to the manpower to print the ballots and transportation expenses for staff.”

45 per cent intend to vote in general election

An RJRGLEANER Communications Group-commissioned Don Anderson poll revealed earlier this year that 45 per cent of Jamaicans intended to vote in the next general election, constitutionally due by September. This is a slight increase from the 42 per cent reported in a September 2024 poll, but Anderson cautioned that this does not necessarily mean a higher voter turnout on election day.

In the January 2025 poll, 45 per cent of respondents said they definitely intended to vote, nine per cent said it was likely, 26 per cent said they were not sure, while 20 per cent of Jamaicans noted that they were definitely not going to exercise their democratic franchise.

According to information provided by the EOJ, 876,310 people voted in the 2011 general election, representing 53 per cent of the more than 1.6 million registered voters. In the 2016 general election, 882,389 people cast their votes, representing 48.37 per cent of the more than 1.8 million registered voters. However, only 724,317 of the more than 1.9 million registered voters voted in the 2020 general election, representing a 37.85 per cent voter turnout.

One voter told this newspaper last week that she voted in 2016, but has no intention of voting in the upcoming election. For her, neither of the parties is better than the other.

“Because it is just the same thing,” she offered in response to Gleaner queries.

“I’ve seen some improvements, but my thing has always been, what is in it for me, and how I can benefit? Whichever one of them comes with something that is in it for me, and who actually delivers when the time comes, I might consider, but I have no intention to vote as it is. Everybody just wants power so they can be in control of the resources,” said Olivia Byfield*, a resident of Portmore, St Catherine. Most important to Byfield is securing her own home in the municipality, and she said there has been little direct aid via politics to do so.

Unlike the 1962 and 1980 general elections, which were fundamental milestones in Jamaica’s electoral history, this year’s general election is felt to be of far less importance, said political analyst Dr Christopher Charles.

“There have been only two elections that the country would have been excited about – the general elections going into Independence, because most of the major parties wanted to take the country into Independence. The other major election was in 1980, when Jamaica was the playing ground for the superpowers – the Soviet Union and the United States, and proxy battles were fought on behalf of both, as was also the case in Africa,” said Charles, explaining that Jamaicans, in 1980, felt that the future of the country was at stake, and that Jamaica was in danger of turning to communism.

“This (2025) is just a regular, run-of-the-mill election. There is nothing significant about it. The two parties are following the neo-liberal economic order, and the two parties have been following the IMF (International Monetary Fund) programmes, so what difference is there? Where?” Charles questioned. “It is just a matter of who you think is best equipped to take the country forward and to make the best use of the path that we are on, but there is no ideological difference.

“There might be differences in how corruption is viewed, and the scale of corruption, and certain topical issues like the Caribbean Court of Justice and CARICOM, and so on; but generally they are on the same ideological path,” Charles argued, noting that there has been a decline in voter turnout for every election since 1980, and that he believes the trend will continue.

“The diehards and a few others will come out, but I don’t expect any major turnout. We have not seen anything breathtaking in this country with the current Government,” he charged, noting that it is foolish to look at a fall-off in crime for just over a year in claiming that the Government is making great strides in reducing crime.

* Name changed

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com