Fewer votes for DP, NA,
but results remain 6-5
PHILIPSBURG--After thirteen hours of recounting votes, the Main Voting Bureau on Wednesday night determined the final results of the April 20 Island Council election.
Despite some minor changes, the result of the election stands, with the Democratic Party (DP) winning six seats and National Alliance (NA) five seats in the Island Council.
The Main Voting Bureau not only went through the invalid and blank votes, but also re-counted the votes cast in six of the 14 polling stations because there were discrepancies in the reports submitted immediately after the election.
After Wednesday’s scrutiny, recount and sorting out of discrepancies the final result of the election is that the total number of valid votes was reduced by 40, moving from 13,444 to 13,384. This means that the number of votes required to earn one seat in the Island Council was adjusted (lowered) from 1,222 to 1,216.
The final count shows that the DP received 6,627 votes – 12 fewer than the 6,639 recorded Friday; NA received 5,526 votes – 57 fewer than the 5,583 recorded Friday; and People’s Progressive Alliance (PPA) 1,117 votes – 10 more than the 1,107 recorded Friday.
The final count also shows that Democratic Labour Party (DLP) received 69 votes (no changes); St. Maarten People Believers Independence Movement (SPBIM) received 25 votes – one fewer than the 26 recorded Friday; and, National Democratic Party (NDP) 20 votes (no changes).
The number of invalid votes jumped from 113 to 161, while the number of blank votes was revised downward – from 66 to 56.
When checking the invalid votes, one vote was validated and went to Patricia Flanders (NA).
Many of the invalid votes were so classified because voters had used blue pens instead of the red pencils provided in the voting booths. There were also cases in which votes were determined to be invalid because persons had sought to vote for more than one candidate.
Still others marked big crosses on their ballots or made a circle around the picture of one of the candidates.
One voter wrote on the back of his ballot “No job no vote.” This prompted Chairman of the Main Voting Bureau Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards to joke: “That one is for the Labour Commissioner.” Commissioner with responsibility for Labour Louie Laveist was among the persons observing the Bureau’s scrutinising of the ballots.
The Main Voting Bureau, Richards said, will be making its final report soon and placing it for public review. He also pointed out that the process of checking the credentials of the members of the new Island Council would start right away.
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