CAFFE seeking election observers

Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) is seeking 1,000 Jamaicans to volunteer as observers in the upcoming general election.

So far, 300 people have signed up with at least 100 already trained, according to CAFFE Chairman Grace Baston.

“We think it’s absolutely essential that citizens who are passionate about our democracy, are passionate about our elections being free and fair, step up and carry out these duties,” Baston told The Gleaner yesterday.

For the last two elections held, volunteer recruitment was mainly done at the upper sixth-form level in high schools. But she stated that this is no longer a captive audience as schools are on holidays. Further, she said some students were reluctant to commit to volunteering because of the uncertainty around when the elections would be called.

However, Baston noted that interest had increased since it began running advertisements this week.

Volunteers will receive a stipend of $7,000, which Baston said is to assist with expenses incurred throughout the day.

“We’re very clear: you are volunteering. CAFFE is a group of volunteers, persons who are willing to commit, make the sacrifice of that time, from 6:30 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening, at least,” she said. “However, we feel like we need to make a contribution to people’s out-of-pocket expenses, so that’s what that money really is.”

EXPECTED BY SEPTEMBER

She said indicators have shown that the general election, which is expected by September, is close. This prediction has influenced CAFFE’s strategy.

“We’ve looked at 22 constituencies that we believe are marginal, and so we are trying to target those. We can’t be in every polling station, so certainly in these constituencies where we think it will be close, the battle will be hot, and the temptations for shenanigans will be stronger. That’s where we wanna be,” she said.

A recent RJRGLEANER-commissioned Don Anderson poll showed both parties in a close race.

In the poll, conducted between May 18 and June 7, some 32.6 per cent of respondents said they would vote for the People’s National Party, while 29.6 per cent said they would vote for the ruling Jamaica Labour Party. Another 37.8 per cent of potential voters said they were either “not sure yet” or “not voting”.

The poll sampled 1,033 Jamaicans age 18 and older and carries a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

And although she acknowledged that Jamaica has “come a long way” in how elections are conducted, Baston believes the nearly three-decades-old election watchdog’s role is integral to ensuring that the country does not regress.

“CAFFE is convinced we need to continue to monitor the system. We need to ensure that the principle of ‘one man/one woman, one vote’ is upheld. We need to ensure that there is no intimidation of voters in any way … . We need to make sure that the officials charged with the efficient running of the system [are doing] everything according to the law,” she said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com