Saturday’s Democratic Primary saw a notably low voter turnout across the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to election officials, only 1,058 registered voters participated on St. Croix, along with 15 on St. John and 189 on St. Thomas.
Early voting numbers were similarly low, with just six percent of the 20,300 registered Democrats voting by July 23. This included 259 voters on St. Thomas-St. John and 870 on St. Croix, with no provisional ballots recorded.
The primary faced significant challenges this year. In January, District Court Chief Judge Robert Molloy ruled eight sections of the V.I. Code governing primary elections unconstitutional. In a Senate hearing, Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes stated that “a normal primary election would be impossible without some change.” The Board of Elections scrambled and, in an emergency meeting at the end of May, worked out a plan to exclude intra-party offices from the ballot but keep the names of people running for public office.
That means the ballot on St. Thomas-St. John included only candidates for the Board of Elections and Board of Education, as seven Democrats ran unopposed for the Senate seats. Officials noted that this limited scope likely affected voter turnout.
A packed Senate race on St. Croix, however, drew a bit higher numbers, but still less than 500 by noon, according to Elections. Still, more than 1,000 filled St. Croix polls by the end of the day, with enthusiasm outside high – click here for live interviews with candidates and Elections workers.
St. Thomas-St. John
Early Saturday, there appeared to be more poll judges, registration clerks and security officers than there were voters at the St. John voting center at the Julius E. Sprauve School and the East St. Thomas polling center at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School.
Both opened at 7 a.m. as scheduled but up to 90 minutes later, St. John Poll Judge Yolanda Paul said no voters had appeared. Meanwhile, outside on the streets of Cruz Bay, retired nurse Sally Browne made her way to the Sprauve School gates.
Asked why she was going to vote, Browne said “of course — it’s my civic duty.”
Over at the Kean High cafeteria at noontime, Poll Judge Elise Frazer had just called her participation numbers into Election System headquarters at Lockhart Gardens Shopping Center.
Her total for the morning: five. That was followed by about 13 voters at CAHS, and seven at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center by noon.
“Either they were not aware, or they’re not interested in voting for Board of Education or Board of Elections candidates,” Frazer remarked.
Board of Education candidate Nandi Sekou shared similar sentiments as she rallied outside CAHS with granddaughter Saidah Sekou around noon.
“We have always had this issue where the voting public tends to go out and vote for senators, delegate to congress, and of course gubernatorial candidates, and the boards are ignored,” she said. “Even when you have a primary, a lot of times people go in and vote for those categories, and I think that maybe that could be because there’s no clear understanding of what the board does, though we all try to educate as much as possible.”
Sekou suggested that looking forward, putting board candidates in forums or debates where they could share what they plan to do could help voters make an informed decision.
