Political camps, particularly those in urban areas, have been in working feverishly for the past month. That’s because July and August are the only two months of the year when transferees can be registered. Transferees are voters who are moving from one division to another. Because this is the last transfer period before the next election it’s created a kind of feeding frenzy where politicians are trying to recruit as many transfer voters as possible. It’s big action for politics, and lots of work for the Elections and Boundaries Office. Today Chief Elections Officer Dorothy Bradley discussed the significance of this frenetic period.
Dorothy Bradley, Chief Elections Officer
“It has been really really buys, extremely busy in all the divisional offices.”
Jules Vasquez,
Now this is your last chance to transfer before the elections.
Dorothy Bradley,
“Your last chance is up to August 31st. Up to the end of July or up to the 10th of July actually we have had in excess of 1,000 but definitely for the month of August, it will be far more.”
Jules Vasquez,
How hard is it for your office to keep its nose clean and its head above water when there is so much political jostling around this time for transferees.
Dorothy Bradley,
“The truth is Jules, our department functions on principles and transparency, integrity, that’s at the forefront and we intend to progress on those principles and going there, I am certain we will stay on top. We must stay on top.”
Jules Vasquez,
But at the same time, there are people in politics who are very single minded and very determined to have their transferees, even if they are in a safe house, to have their transferees reflected on the lists that comes out after this transfer period. Do you anticipate many battles ahead?
Dorothy Bradley,
“I certainly do but we are prepared. That’s the bottom line.”
As Bradley mentioned, July first to the tenth showed a flurry of activity where almost a thousand transferees were registered. A review of the national statistics compiled between July first to the tenth shows that nationally, the most transfers, 97 were registered in Orange Walk East. The most in the city was the Mesopotamia division which had 75 in those ten days.
