Overshadowed by the worst spike in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, voting takes place tomorrow for the second time this year to elect a new Tobago House of Assembly (THA).
The pandemic was present when Tobagonians went to the polls in January, but the stakes are even higher this time around, not only because of the political factors which triggered this tie-breaker election, but due to the increased number of COVID-19 cases on the island and the prospect of the new Omicron variant lurking outside our shores.
That makes it even more challenging to ensure tomorrow’s elections are not only free and fair but safe and it will be up to the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and T&T Police Service to ensure stringent enforcement of public health protocols at polling stations.
However, there are also critical roles for the parties, candidates and voters.
Elections are large-scale exercises that require participation, transparency and confidence to maintain the highest standards of democracy.
To their credit, parties and candidates have done most of their campaigning virtually in adherence with public health regulations on crowd sizes and physical distancing. They adapted their campaigns to increasingly use social media platforms and kept in-person events such as walkabouts to a minimum.
A notable exception was Nomination Day, when supporters from the PNM and the PDP descended in droves at the offices of returning officers to support candidates. Physical distancing rules were flouted and police officers had to frequently remind overzealous supporters about the health regulations.
But one of the biggest tests of the systems put in place by the EBC will be tomorrow, when eligible voters cast their ballots. Although there was a period for special voting before election day, that was the only available alternative to in-person voting.
COVID-19 has significantly changed the playbook for voting, so even before electors decide on political parties and candidates, they must determine whether they can safely participate in the process. This is believed to have contributed to low voter turnout for the January polls, although voter apathy has for years been a challenge in T&T elections.
The biggest hurdle in maintaining safety may come hours after the close of polls. Once results start coming in and the results begin trending toward a particular party, supporters may start converging at campaign offices and in the streets.
Carnival-style post-election celebrations complete with music and revelry, a unique feature of politics in T&T, are potential super-spreader events. Parties will have to step up and maintain control over their supporters at these expected election night gatherings. Otherwise, weeks from now the new THA could find itself dealing with a public health crisis even worse than the current situation when daily new cases are at triple-digit levels.
Tobago’s tourism-dependent economy, already hard hit by the lockdowns and travel restrictions due to COVID, cannot afford such an occurrence.
After months of deadlock that deprived Tobagonians of a fully functional THA, what is needed over the next few days is mature responsible behaviour. Eligible electors are urged to exercise their civic duty and choose the Assembly representatives they believe are best suited to take the island forward.
But they must do so in a way that keeps COVID-19 at bay.