GECOM records an increase in votes for disciplined services at 2023 LGE

Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vishnu Persaud has reported an increase in the number of members of the disciplined services who voted at this year’s Local Government Elections (LGE) when compared to the last election in 2018.

This was disclosed during a press conference at GECOM’s Command Centre, at Fort and Barrack Streets, Kingston, Georgetown.

Persaud, in giving a breakdown of the turnout, said 47 per cent of the number of persons that constitute the disciplined services voted this year in comparison to 39 per cent in 2018.

Members of the disciplined services voted on June 2.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has a total of 2,684 registered voters and of that amount, 1,361 ballots were cast, which represents a 50.71 per cent participation rate as compared to 36.86 per cent in 2018.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF), which has 5,979 registered voters, saw 2,717 ballots cast, representing a 45.44 per cent participation rate, as compared to 41.30 per cent in 2018.

The Guyana Prison Service (GPS), which has 430 registered voters, saw 239 members casting ballots, which shows a 55.58 per cent participation rate, as opposed to 41.69 per cent at the last LGE.

“As far as I am aware, every single [person] who turned up to vote was allowed to vote, provided their names are on the list for that particular polling station,” Persaud explained.

He also noted that the process was primarily a smooth process, however, a few instances occurred where officers were wrongfully issued ballots to vote in constituencies for which they were not registered to vote.

The CEO assured that these officers will be given the opportunity to vote on elections day, come June 12.

Members of the disciplined services traditionally cast their ballots ahead of the rest of the nation, as their participation is required on Elections Day to ensure a smooth and lawful process.