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Today, thousands of electors in the U.S. Virgin Islands who did not vote early will cast their ballots for candidates in several categories, including gubernatorial, senatorial and delegate to Congress among other public offices.
The Consortium will bring live coverage of election results tonight beginning at 7:00 p.m. on our Facebook platform and website.
Approximately 11,849 electors voted early, and those wishing to have an impact on who become the territory's next leaders will join them today, between 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at several polling centers territory-wide.
A sample ballot for voting in the St. Thomas-St. John District can be viewed and downloaded here. A sample ballot for the St. Croix District can be viewed and downloaded here.
For the gubernatorial race, a candidate must collect 50 percent of the votes cast during early voting and on election day, plus 1, to be declared the winner.
The main contenders in the gubernatorial race are Governor Albert Bryan and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach, and Senators Kurt Vialet and Janelle Sarauw, running as candidates for governor and lieutenant governor respectively.
Election day voting centers are as follows:
St. Croix
- D.C. Canegata Recreation Center
- St. Dunstan’s Episcopal School Auditorium
- St. Croix Central High School Modular Gymnasium
- St. Croix Educational Complex Gymnasium
- Arthur a. Richards K-8th School Modular Cafeteria
St. Thomas
- University of the Virgin Islands Sports & Fitness Center
- Charlotte Amalie High School Gymnasium
- Tutu Park Mall (Former Scotia Bank Location)
- Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Cafeteria
St. John
- Julius Sprauve Elementary School Cafeteria
- Calabash Boom Community Center
Board of Elections members during a recent meeting explained the voting process for those who are unsure of what to expect:
When a voter arrives at a voting center, they will be met by a greeter who will direct them to an area where they can wash or sanitize their hands. Hand washing stations are available at the majority of polling places. A temperature check will be performed upon entry.
After temperature checks and sanitizing, the voter will be directed to an e-poll worker who will check them in and ask if they want to use the express voting machine or a paper ballot. It is entirely up to the voter to decide.
If a voter arrives to a voting center and discovers that their voting status is inactive, resolving that will be a relatively simple process. The facilitator at that voting center will contact the main office to have this corrected. Board members noted that issues of this nature were resolved in about five minutes or less during the early voting process. Voter activation cards will be available at each voting location.
In terms of the candidates, Elections Board Chair Raymond Williams noted that the board had met with them twice this week to speak about the rules governing the voting process.
Any individual who voted early and attempts to vote on election day will be immediately detected through the Elections System database and face criminal penalties, said Elections System Deputy Supervisor Terrell Alexandre.
Elections System Preparation
Staff has been trained, various procedures have been implemented, and voting equipment have been tested to ensure a successful outcome. The distribution of voting machines started on Sunday throughout the territory. On Monday, the V.I. Police Department started erecting barriers.
Regarding the deployment of voting equipment, trucking times for some areas were still being finalized on Friday. Elections Board members discussed getting some of the voting equipment into local school gyms — officials were expected to go into those areas around 1:00 p.m. on Monday to begin preparations, closing off traffic to the gyms.
As of Sunday, outdoor lighting was being erected at several voting centers. These include the St. Croix Educational Complex Gym, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal School Auditorium and the St. Croix Central High School Modular Gymnasium. The VIPD and the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency are expected to assist in this regard.
Relative to voting equipment, each voting center will receive a set number of touch screen DS200 express voting machines and express poll books, with spares available if needed. If a spare machine is used and another is required to be sent to a voting center, that will be done as well. The main goal for election officials in this regard is to do everything possible to avoid long lines on election day.
Every voting location will have at least 100 paper ballots from each precinct. Depending on the expected voter turnout, some voting centers will receive more ballots than others. Election officials are confident that there will be enough ballots to go around.
