The head of the Elections System of the Virgin Islands reassured the Board of Elections that all necessary arrangements are in place to ensure a smooth and orderly voting process for the upcoming General Election. Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes provided this assurance during a scheduled meeting with the board on Thursday.
Election preparations were one of the topics covered at the Oct. 10 scheduled meeting. Board members attending virtually and in person also reviewed submitted correspondence related to voting procedures. They also received the latest figures on voters’ registration and heard the list of names for certified write-in candidates.
Board members also approved the fiscal year 2025 budget for both the board and the Elections System, each slated for $2.5 million in funding apiece.
In-person voting is scheduled for Nov. 5, but early voting is set to begin on Oct. 14, territory-wide. Testing of voting machines to be used in early voting took place late Thursday afternoon. Fawkes also updated the board on the number of certified write-in candidates appearing on the ballot, adding that there may be additions to that list.
“The Elections System is fully prepared to carry out early voting starting Monday,” the supervisor said. The report presented at Thursday’s meeting included a list of eleven voting centers where in-person voting will take place. Voters casting ballots between October 14 and October 28 can visit the Elections System Office at the Banco Popular Building, second floor at Lockhart Gardens, St. Thomas; St. Croix voters can cast ballots starting Monday at the Elections System Office at Sunny Isle Shopping Center.
St. John early voters can visit the Elections System Office at the Marketplace starting Oct. 21 through Oct. 28. Voting hours on all three islands are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The names of certified write-in candidates appearing in the supervisor’s report included the offices they’re seeking.
In the St. Thomas-St. John district:
a. Attorney Mark Hodge — Delegate for the Sixth Constitutional Convention
b. Amy Thomas-Lawson — Board of Elections (St. John)
c. Lydia Hendricks — Delegate for the Sixth Constitutional Convention
In the St. Croix district:
a. Genevieve Whitaker — Delegate for the Sixth Constitutional Convention
b. Cheryl V. Charles — Candidate, 36th Legislature
The amount of registered voters on the system’s roster is 30,607. Since January, the system has picked up 809 new registrants, including 201 in September.
On Nov. 5, voters on St. Thomas can cast their ballots at Tutu Park Mall, at the UVI Eldridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center, and at two public schools: Charlotte Amalie High School in the Sprung Building and at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School in the cafeteria.
The Guy H. Benjamin Elementary School in Coral Bay, St. John, is being returned to service for in-person balloting on Election Day. The Julius E. Sprauve School in Cruz Bay is St. John’s other designated voting center on Nov. 5.
St. Croix has five voting centers on Election Day: the Claude O. Markoe Elementary School; the Central High School Gymnasium, St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Frederiksted, St. Dunstan’s School in Orange Grove, and the D.C. Canegata Recreation Complex in Christiansted.
