Homestead electors exposed to voter ID machine

More than 200 registered electors, election-day workers and political stakeholders in the Homestead division of South Central St Catherine were exposed to the use and functioning of the electronic voter identification system for the first time during an assimilation exercise on Saturday.

According to Deputy Director of Elections Earle Simpson, the exercise, held at St Catherine High School, was necessary to familiarise the participants on the use of the machine and how it operates so all questions can be answered before the scheduled May 18 municipal by-election in Homestead.

"All electors in the division will be required to use the machine which is being introduced in the South Central St Catherine constituency for the first time," said Simpson.

He praised the integrity of the system, pointing out that once the finger is placed on the scanner, it will bring up, for verification, the information in the electoral office data base.

Election worker Coral Edwards said she was intrigued with the system.

"Everything came up when I put my finger on the machine," she told The Gleaner.