Photo ID Card A Must Have To Vote
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
January 19, 2010 (SKNIS)
Federal elections in St. Kitts and Nevis are four days away and the Electoral Office has issued a passionate appeal for citizens to collect their National Identification (NID) Cards in order to cast a ballot.
The cards, issued as part of Electoral Reform, will be used for the first time on the January 25 polling day. Supervisor of Elections, Pastor Leroy Benjamin told SKNIS that persons should collect their cards from the Electoral Offices in St. Kitts and Nevis as soon as possible.
“It is anticipated, (as customary) that on Election Day, nationals (living abroad) will come home to vote,” he stated. “”¦ I can see that
“I am appealing to nationals here to come in to collect their cards so those persons from overseas, and you (who reside here) will not be at the office at the same time because then we can have a real state of confusion with everybody trying to get in and everybody trying to push and rush.”
The Supervisor of Elections noted that persons who may have misplaced the card will not be disenfranchised and will be allowed to vote using a valid picture I.D. issued by the state such as a passport, driver’s licence or social security card. However, persons not carrying the NID card will face extra scrutiny.
“The card makes it pretty easy for you to be able to do your business at the polling station and hasten the line that is there,” he emphasized. “I see the NID card as being something that you carry with pride. You carry it because it can function anywhere for purchasing, and for doing business otherwise. That NID card is a powerful piece of instrument.”
Pastor Benjamin encouraged citizens to visit the office to ensure their names are on the electoral roster and to confirm the location where they are to cast their ballots on January 25. Persons not on the voter’s list and those without a St. Kitts-Nevis Government issued picture I.D. will not be allowed to vote.