In a right about turn less than two weeks before the elections, the Guyana Elections Commission has announced its decision to prohibit the use of cellphones within polling stations.

The announcement came on Tuesday night, just one week after the Commission initially decided against banning cellphones from within polling stations.

In the new decision banning the use of cellphones within polling stations, GECOM said the decision is aimed at protecting the sanctity and secrecy of the ballot and to particularly address concerns regarding the potential of vote selling that is directly linked to photographing of ballots.

According to GECOM, the prohibition of cell phone use and the penalties for vote selling are rooted in the Representation of the People Act.

It noted that considering the integrity of the electoral process is of crucial importance, the new measures are designed to ensure that every citizen can cast their vote freely and without undue influence and that the secrecy of their choice is absolutely protected.

GECOM has announced that several measures will be implemented to enforce the prohibition of the use of cellphones in polling stations.

A clear and prominent notice will be posted at the entrance and within every polling station explicitly stating, pictorially and in words, that the use of cellphones is strictly prohibited.

GECOM has also announced that there will be regular announcements to all voters in queue by polling day officials, informing them to turn off their cellphones before entering the polling station, and every voter will be reminded of the need to turn off his/her cellphone before presented with a ballot to vote.

The National ID Card, Passport or Driver’s License of the voter will be retained by the Presiding Officer when the voter is given a ballot, and will only be returned upon the completion of that voter casting their vote.

The Elections Commission has stated that voting compartments will be strategically positioned to allow GECOM staff and accredited Party agents to observe if a voter is attempting to use her/her cellphone to take a photo of the ballot.

Noting that the observation will be respectful of voter privacy while maintaining vigilance against the use of cellphones in polling stations, GECOM said in the event that a voter is observed attempting to photograph his/her ballot, the GECOM staff and or Party agents will immediately raise an alarm to prevent the action.

GECOM has stated that any voter observed taking a photograph of the ballot paper will result in a formal note being made of the incident and a report submitted to the Police for Investigation.

The Commission has also stated that there will be a designated desk or table placed next to each voting compartment where voters will be instructed to place their cellphones before using the voting compartment to cast their vote, providing a visible location for phones by all concerned during the voting process.

GECOM says its officials will instruct every voter to place their phones on a designated desk/table before proceeding to the voting compartment, and that instruction will be clear and consistently applied to all voters.

The Commission has stated that its decision to prohibit the use of cellphones within polling stations aligns with international best practices for election administration, which often include provisions to protect ballot secrecy and prevent electoral fraud.

GECOM has also reminded that the selling of a vote constitutes a serious electoral offence, which carries significant penalties including a $65,000 fine and imprisonment for a term of six months.

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