Although the One Man, One Vote (OMOV) is up against mounting hurdles from government, and its campaign to hardly a glow when it needs a furnance to have any chance of succeeding, there were some encouraging words from the Elections office.

Colford Scott, the deputy supervisor of elections said the number of votes cast in the referendum can still serve to advise government on the mood of the people towards single member or multi-member constituencies.

The operative word though is “can” and not “will” and it isn’t government that said it. I would substitute “can” for “should” but then this referendum is the most legally unfair adoption of a government controlled ballot on a proposal I have ever known. I am ashamed the UK government by the governor hasn’t shouted “foul”, even if it isn’t technically one.

When our premier said he has been as fair as he possibly could be, why didn’t the opposition jump all over him and the media shouting and shouting how much fairer he could and should have been?

To all the people who are reading this and believe the premier has been fair go to EVERY source concerning what a referendum is. You will find in EVERY case this sentence:

“In most referendums it is sufficient for a measure to be approved by a simple majority of voters in order for it to be carried.”

Did you read the word ‘MOST’?

Why are the woeful ads for the OMOV not shouting out “YOU MUST GET OUT”? If you stay IN you are voting “No”. All non voters are counted as “NO”. Instead we have to listen to 30 seconds and more of waffle from respected persons of the community trying to explain the reasons why OMOV is the only way to go. LESS is MORE!!

I cannot share the view if the ‘yes’ vote falls only marginally short of the target set by government and wins the majority of the turnout, it may well decide that the Cayman Islands is ready for single member constituencies at the next election.

Not even all the members of the PPM backbenchers are 100% fired up about having a OMOV. Most are going through the motions. The numbers game is illegal here in the Cayman Islands Mhe numbers game is still played. And when a political party sees there are six seats to be had (George Town will have two extra seats at the next General Election) and everyone in the George Town electorate can have SIX votes each, six is an attraction over just one. You have to look at the bigger picture. Your one vote is actually whittled down to a sixth because everyone has six votes and you can’t use them to vote for ONE single candidate.

Now that is simply explained isn’t it? But the OMOV campaigners have to complicate it with bbbkflbokoo verbiage. People are generally in too much of a hurry to read the rest and if they do it raises more questions in people’s minds than answers. Let them ask the question first. Don’t give the answer when it hasn’t been asked.

Colford Scott doesn’t think the national vote that, whatever the result of the referendum, it would not be a wasted exercise. He doesn’t think. He is right it shouldn’t. But does that give all of us confidence in his words?

Not me, I’m afraid.

Mobile voting starts on July 6th in Little Cayman, then to Cayman Brac and on to Grand Cayman to poll persons ahead of Referendum Day.

Persons eligible for Mobile voting have to be part of two elements: the first is the ‘in home’ or institution voting where election officials go the Pines and other retirement homes, the hospital  and people’s own homes to allow the elderly and infirm to cast their vote. The second is a mobile voting unit that provides early voting for the hundreds of workers who will be unable to go to the polls on Referendum Day because they are emergency service personnel or involved in the election itself.

Mobile voting does not mean you sending a text message saying “Yes” to a government computer from your cell phone! Remember, you don’t have to do ANYTHING if you are voting “No”.

There are already 135 postal ballots issued and several more applied for and election officials said they expected a higher than normal number of postal ballots. This is because the referendum is being in July. The deadline for making an application for an absentee ballot is 6 July but the completed forms can be received by election staff up to 6pm on Referendum Day.

Because of the expected large number of postal votes Supervisor of Elections Kearney Gomez said the formal result of the full national vote will probably not be announced until the morning of Thursday 19 July. “Counting postal votes takes longer because of the necessary verification,” he explained.

So, we will wait and see and hope the message of welcome is not a message conveniently forgotten by the only people who can make it happen. The government and Elections Office I have to point out, the government are campaigning AGAINST their own referendum!!!