Less than 35% of the more than 540,000 registered voters went to the polls during the just concluded Local Government Elections – resulting in the country experiencing its lowest voter turnout rate this year of the last three local elections.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) disclosed that only 188,856 persons or 34.97% of the registered voters showed up at the polls to cast their ballots at the Local Government Elections, from a list of 540,056 eligible voters.

The figures represent a further decline in the voter turnout rate when compared to the 2018 and 2016 Local Government Elections.

In 2018, 36.3% of the 573,923 registered electors went to the polls, while in 2016, 47.1% of the registered voters participated in those elections.

Back then 239,070 voters went to the polls from a list of 507,584.

This year, the Region Six Local Authority Area of Plegt Anker/kortberaadt recorded the highest turn out rate with 308 voters casting their ballots.

There were 528 eligible voters in that area, resulting in the turn out rate being 58.33%.

Good Success/Caledonia – a Local Authority Area in Region Four – registered the lowest turnout rate. According to the Election Commission, some 8,713 persons were registered to vote but a mere 1,818 persons turned up at the polls.

The voter turnout at the various municipalities was also very low.

In the nation’s capital – Georgetown – some 122,892 persons were registered to vote, however, only 34,527 voted. According to GECOM, the figures represent a turn out rate of 28.10%.

Meanwhile, in the Municipality of Mabaruma, 51.51% of the eligible voters went to polls or 2,043 voters from a list of 3,966 eligible voters. Over in Anna Regina, 37.21% or 4,219 persons went out to cast their ballots from a list of 11,339.

In the Municipalities of New Amsterdam, Rose Hall, Corriverton, Bartica, Mahdia, and Linden, the turn out rate was over 40%.

GECOM explained that the turnout is based on valid votes cast for each approved list of candidates at the Proportional Representation Level in addition to the total number of rejected ballots recorded.

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