August 6, 2024 • 26 mins
Join Amelia Hedley-Lamont from the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands as she hosts Alecia Wells, Chairwoman of the Virgin Islands Board of Elections. This episode of Ability Radio dives into the critical role of the Board of Elections, the voting process, and exciting changes aimed at making voting more accessible and engaging for everyone.
Learn about the structure of the Board, the importance of voter registration, and the various ways voters, including those incarcerated, can cast their ballots. Ms. Wells also shares her vision for the future of voting, including the potential for voting via mobile devices, and highlights upcoming voting expos designed to educate and energize the electorate.
Don't miss this enlightening discussion on the intricacies of the election system and the efforts to enhance voter participation in the Virgin Islands.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
The views expressed on this program are not necessarily those of WTJX's board,
staff, or underwriters.
Good day. You are listening to Ability Radio.
I'm one of your hosts, Amelia Hedley-Lamont of the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands.
And today, the word for today is elections.
(00:25):
And our very special guest today is Alecia Wells. She is the chairwoman of the
Virgin Islands Board of Elections. Good day, Ms. Wells.
How are you? Good day, Jabilia. How are you? Well, as we said earlier, it's been a good one.
We haven't even mentioned each other's names, probably not to each other.
That's right. Great. Thank you for having me. Thanks for the invitation.
(00:49):
And I trust that the information we'll be sharing with the public will be well
received And something that would help at least one person to be able to get
a better understanding of what the board does and with this election cycle,
because we're now in full election mode.
I see. I've had an opportunity to look at your calendar and see you will be
(01:13):
very busy over the course of many weeks.
Just for background information, what is the role of the Board of Elections?
Tell us what what do the members of the Board of Elections do?
Well, there are 14 members on the Board of Election.
We have to seek election to the Board of Election from our district.
(01:33):
There's a St. Croix district and there's a St. Thomas, St. John district.
So there are two districts. We used to have a joint board where we had a board in St.
Croix and a board in St. Thomas, St. John, and that has been changed by legislation.
We now have one board. We have the chair, which is from one particular district,
(01:55):
and that's an elected position within the board. The board members vote on that chair.
Once the person is elected at the meeting that the other elected officials attend,
one chair is elected, a vice chair and a secretary.
(02:15):
The chair comes from one district, the vice chair from another district,
and the secretary usually is from the district that house the chairman.
For example, I'm chair and the secretary is from the St. Thomas, St. John district.
(02:36):
This year, we have a vice chair who's also from the same district.
That normally doesn't happen often because it's best to have input from both districts.
We meet quarterly.
We do mostly registration. Registration to get persons registered,
(03:00):
in that same word, so that they can vote in the upcoming elections.
We've had a change by legislation also.
A lot of tasks that were previously, like in the last 20 years or more,
(03:21):
done by the board is now the job of the supervisor of election.
We do mostly registration, and then we have machine testing.
And today is a good day. Today is a day that persons can go to the various election
offices in their district and look at the machines that are going to be used
(03:44):
in the primary election come August 5th.
Right.
Questions. I know that the one question we had that persons used to ask about
persons who were incarcerated.
If you're at one of our correctional facilities and you've just been arrested,
(04:09):
you haven't been convicted of anything, right?
Convicted or anything, you're not a felon. We can go there once we know that
you're there and you'd like to have us come and register you to vote.
Now, how would somebody who is incarcerated be able to even contact your office?
Well, I imagine they would have to go through persons in charge at the prison,
(04:32):
but the persons in charge will call the office.
Our office number on St. Thomas is 340-776-7000.
777-724-2391. That's St. John, I'm sorry.
And 340-773-4523 in St.
(04:54):
Croix or 774-3107 in St.
Thomas. And then the supervisor of the prison will let us know their 1,
2, 3, or whatever number of inmates who would like to be registered.
And the board members will go there.
And I'm telling you, that's an experience. I did it one time. Oh, okay.
(05:17):
We'll go there and we'll fill out the applications as if they were in our office.
And we would take that back to the office. And then when it's time for the voting,
we would take the ballot to them and have them vote on their ballots and seal their ballots.
And then we would take it back to the office to be counted. So nobody is disenfranchised.
(05:41):
And of course, you know, we have absentee ballots.
And we also have, I'm hoping in my lifetime, I'll be able to see us vote from
our phones at home in our living room, because I think that is going to get
more young people involved.
Because a lot of times the young people are working and they're so much into
(06:03):
their iPhone and their iPad and their whatever, they can't or won't leave to go and register to vote.
So I think that's one thing that the entire board, in addition to the election
system of the Virgin Islands, are going to be pushing that we get voting from
any device in your house.
Now, point of clarification, it's my understanding that the primary election
(06:26):
day is this Saturday, August 3rd, correct?
Primary, I'm just checking also.
Primary election, August, the casting of lots.
Right, so that's correct. So it would be today, August 3rd.
(06:51):
For our purposes. Yeah. Yeah. Let me ask you this.
What is required? I mean, when you're doing the registration as a member of
the elections board, board of elections, what is required for a person to be able to vote?
Because you've already covered one thing. Any copies of anything,
because we like to make our own copies, because when we see a copy of something
(07:14):
we don't know is a copy of what, but when we see the original,
so you can bring your passport,
DD-214 for persons who've been in the service, naturalization paper.
We would take the birth certificate, but you know, our birth certificates have no picture on it.
So the passport, I think, will be the best thing for you to bring.
(07:38):
Wherever there's a voter's registration drive, it's usually for two hours or more. You take that.
There's a board member there that will fill out a form, put all that information
on the election system form.
And then we would give you, if we don't have a, in the office,
you can get your voter's registration card right away, which looks almost like a driver's license.
(08:02):
Because we don't move the machine back and forth for obvious reasons.
We'll give you a card that has a seal on it, and you can use that to vote if
you want to take that card into one of our offices,
and you'll give that up, and then you'll sit and get your picture ID taken,
because there's no picture on the card.
(08:22):
You may do that, or you could just vote with the card that you would be given
at your initial registration time. Okay.
So, in order to be a qualified elector, that's another word that's used,
I noticed, quite a bit, you have to be a U.S.
Citizen or a naturalized citizen, correct?
Correct. 18 years old or older.
(08:44):
Yes. And meet a residency requirement. What is that, do you know,
what is that residency requirement? Well, I thought, I think the resident, I'm not sure.
I think the residency requirement is 30 days.
I know that we've had different, different persons offering different services.
(09:07):
Thoughts on the time. But I think it's 30 days, and I'm going to check on that
before this program is over so I can be sure to give correct information.
Okay. Well, we're only a phone call away.
There's another piece that was discussed, a topic of conversation within the
(09:28):
disability rights world, and that was some language that suggested that you
can vote provided that you are not a judged
mentally incompetent as to your ability to vote,
which in my mind is a very rare situation.
I mean, why would an individual go to a court and say, this person is not competent to vote?
(09:49):
I think if I'm following that language very strictly, I think I tend to err
on your side as far as there's no limits or very few restrictions with respect
to being able to go to the polls and, you know, cast a ballot. it.
So I just wanted to... Correct. I've never had that situation in my time on
the board. Right. I'd be shocked if you did.
(10:10):
Yes. If you did. Right. So, and obviously another requirement is that you're
not registered elsewhere.
And I know we can... Right. What we do also is you're asked that that's part
of the registration process and you're asked and you're registered to vote someplace
else and all we can do is whatever you tell us, right? Right.
If you say you're registered to vote in in
(10:32):
Arizona and i would ask you
when last you voted in arizona because that's a question on the
application form and if you said i voted the
on the last election there then there's a form I would give you would fill
that out say because you can't be registered to vote in two places right and
so there's a form you would fill out saying that you're not registering to vote
(10:54):
in the united states virgin islands and you'd like to cancel your registration in arizona so you'll
fill that form out and you'll sign it and then that that the assistance.
In the office will get in touch with the assistant in Arizona and you would be canceled in Arizona.
(11:15):
So your only place to vote would be then in the Virgin Islands.
But like we say, it's only what you tell us we would know. Right, right, right.
That's the process that we would use. You fill out the form and then we send
it or we have a conversation.
Not the board members, but someone in the office at the election system would do that.
(11:37):
Well, one of the things I noticed, I did a little research on you this morning,
and one of the statements that you had made is that, you know,
in your tenure as chairperson of the Board of Elections is to,
you want to make sure that there's more public education,
right, in order to enhance the election experience.
And one of the things I wanted to at least let our listening audience know about
(11:57):
is that there will be a voting expo that will be sponsored by the VI Election
System, AARP, and the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands. It will be held in St.
Croix on Tuesday, August 13th, at the Sunny Isle Pavilion from 10 to 3 p.m.
And music will be featured by the Ten Sleepless Nights.
(12:18):
And in St. Thomas, it will be held on Thursday, August 15th,
at Tutu Park Mall, also from 10 to 3, music by Quelbe Resurrection.
So we're trying to make the education process a little bit more fun.
What do you think, Ms. Wells?
I think that's wonderful. Tutu Park Mall is an excellent venue.
(12:38):
I know almost all of the persons in Quelbe Resurrection.
It has good music, so you can go, register, and dance, which is a good thing to be able to do.
It's a stress-free area. It's air-conditioned. It's comfortable and cool.
You can shop if you want to. A lot of people like to go to those expos because they get excited.
(13:05):
Free things. They get information. They get to see their friends who they haven't seen for a while.
So I hope that all the persons listening will go out on the 13th in St. Croix or the 15th on St.
Thomas to take advantage of this opportunity.
Can I ask if there's any means of transportation set up for persons from St.
(13:28):
John to TuTu Park Mall? All of you?
Good question. What I would suggest is for more information that the individual
should call our office at 772-1200.
That's an excellent question. Yeah, that's an excellent question.
Because one of the, again, topics of conversation within the Disability Rights
Network is what kinds of supports are being offered, particularly for voters
(13:52):
with disabilities, right?
And so arguably that.
Transportation, accessible transportation would be one.
Now, as a matter of practice, the Disability Rights Center does not provide
those kinds of services.
But, you know, I think a question should be asked. How can that be facilitated?
And since... Especially coming from St. John, that's always a problem.
(14:14):
Right, right, right. No, totally understandable. Totally understandable.
So, yeah, I would recommend that our audience please call 772-1200 for more
information about the Expo and how to make it a successful event,
which we hope it will be and trust that it will be.
I also learned that the election results in 2022, we had a voter turnout of
(14:38):
about 57%. What's your take on that, Ms. Wells?
57%. Totally, yeah.
I think it's fair. It's good. We should always try to do better.
We know that on the year when there's no gubernatorial election,
the turnout is always less.
(15:00):
So I imagine that this year, it'll probably be a lot less than it will be in two years from now.
Because when we have a gubernatorial election, more people show up and are interested in that.
Then because of all the news that we've been getting about all the corruption
and a lot of persons and a lot of my friends also are telling me they're not going.
(15:24):
I say, when you don't go, you're actually voting for whoever wins. Right.
So I think 57% is okay, but we should always strive to do better and higher.
I like to hear like an 80% voters turnout or better.
Right. But I think this year is going to be, I think this year,
(15:45):
this coming election in November is going to be less than that.
That's my personal prediction.
Because I just, like I said in speaking to voters who are my friends and relatives,
they tell me, well, I'm not going.
I'm not going because they're all a bunch of croaks of yada, yada, yada.
I say, but when you don't go, you're actually voting for whoever wins.
(16:06):
And, you know, we've worked hard to get this vote.
Right. worked very hard to get this vote, so you need to go.
I said that we've given you all kinds of means to vote. You have an absentee
ballot. We had early voting.
You know, we just try to make it so that it's available to anyone who wants
(16:27):
to have it available to them.
So we need to try really hard to go out there. But this year,
I think it's going to be a lot less than that.
But come two years from now, we're going to be back up in the percentage.
Some jurisdictions, not that I'm advocating for this, I just recently came back
from a trip in South America, and I was told in the country of Ecuador,
(16:48):
everyone is required to vote. If you don't vote, you get fined.
Oh, my goodness. Yeah, I know. I had that same reaction.
So you better believe it looked like almost 100% vote because no one is going
to be paying for not voting.
And again, I'm not advocating. Those persons who are, I wonder how to make sure
that they must go house to house. I don't know. I don't know.
(17:12):
But yeah, I mean, that's, you know, that's how seriously some jurisdictions
take the process, right? Right.
So your approach makes a lot of sense.
Public education, encouragement, you know, and for me, from my observation,
the voting process was a way to see your friends, you know, be involved.
(17:34):
You know, it was a fun day, really. Yeah, exactly.
That's why a lot of people do not go to early voting. They'll tell you. Yeah.
I don't see all my friends that day. And it's like those family picnics that
you would see where people have their baskets of food and they go and sit under the tree.
Because I remember a few years ago at the election office in Lockett Garden,
(17:59):
one Sunday, I'll never forget that one Sunday, the line was almost down the mall.
Because persons would go to church and then they came in.
Early vote and of course they saw their friends
there because they planned it and it was like a really good socialization thing
and people love that yeah that's wonderful
(18:22):
no you know that's how it always felt and i i do appreciate i believe it was
a fairly well don't date me i'm thinking it's recent but you know when I say
recent it might be seven or ten years ago but the fact that You know, a person. Right.
So the canvassing, I do appreciate that the canvassing was kept at a distance
(18:44):
because in the past that used to be very intrusive. You know,
somebody coming up to you. Yes. And that's that's a good thing that has happened.
And one other thing is we now have voting centers. And, you know,
sometimes you'll have to leave one area where you're doing something,
your personal business to get to where you're supposed to vote.
Now you go to any voting center and vote there. That is an excellent change.
(19:06):
So you don't have to rush from one end of the island to the other to vote.
You just go into the nearest voting center and you get to vote.
So that's a good thing. Do you think the public really understands that?
Because that is such a revelation.
No, I don't think that all the persons, and I use that term loosely because we're all... Right.
(19:29):
Yeah. But from habit, we know that if we lived in and I can only talk about the Virgin Islands.
No, I know my uncle lived in La Grange. I could talk about that.
If you lived in La Grange, you had to go to the certain voting center that was near there.
Now, because if he's in Christian said delivering some food,
he doesn't have to go all the way back to La Grange to vote.
(19:51):
He can go to wherever a center is in that area. and I think the more we talk
about that, the more the public will see how much easier and convenient the
system is making it for you to cast your vote.
And also, and I've used it.
If you're in a wheelchair, the judge, the judge is the person that's in charge
(20:12):
of the voting center that they can bring the voting machine down to where you're
comfortable in the chair.
You don't have to get out of the chair, the DS-200 or the express vote,
and you can bring it right down to your level so you can vote like that.
Now, I like the express vote because to me, you get a chance to make your own
(20:32):
ballot. And once a person goes into the voting center, they can ask to use any
one of those means to vote.
It's up to you. Now, an express vote is that... So we're trying to make it so
that a good segue is that today they're testing the electronic voting machines
and the tabulating equipment.
(20:55):
And these have all been certified by the board for the primary election.
So today the public is welcome to go into any election office and look at them
and ask questions about the voting machines and see how they work.
Now, by express vote, you're talking about the electronic machines.
The electronic voting machines? And the DS-200, the express vote is the one
(21:16):
where you're given a choice and you pick your choice. You're actually making your own ballot.
And then you take that ballot, that piece of paper, and then you put it in the
machine and that counts your vote. I particularly like that.
And I've introduced that to a lot of seniors and some persons with disability on St.
John. And they were eager to try that, which I was happy to see because the
(21:38):
younger people, they don't want to try it most of the time. Right.
Now, how is that different from the paper ballot?
Because I think they still do that. It doesn't matter. You can have any means you can use. Right.
You have a choice. You have a choice. Like it says...
I like apple, oranges, or grapes. You can choose which one of those you want.
And you're really making your own ballot according to the choices that are given to you.
(22:01):
That's very good. And once you've made your choice, there's a card that you
would put in the machine at the outset.
And that would list your choices. It also says in number one, you voted for grape.
Number two question, you voted for this. It tells you exactly what you voted
for before you say, okay, this is what I want.
(22:21):
And then once you've done that, and this ballot that you made comes back out
to you, then you just put it in the DS-200 and that comes to your ballot. It's very interesting.
And very efficient, apparently. Now, I believe before we opened up this conversation,
you had talked about you were hoping that we can move towards a day in which,
(22:43):
or maybe, again, maybe we've already discussed it, but I think it needs to be
repeated, to make the voting process more convenient.
And that is, for example, using your phone or your iPhone or your iPod tablet
or whatever tablet you use to vote.
Yes. Is there any movement afoot in that direction here locally?
(23:04):
We've talked about it at our board meeting.
We've talked about it with a supervisor where we're looking at means,
you know, like people don't like change. Yeah.
We're just so comfortable in what we're doing. and we don't like change.
So it's going to be a gradual thing, but I'm hoping to see that in my lifetime.
(23:25):
And I think that we're moving in the right direction.
We're getting board members who are more people are interested in seeking a
seat on the board of election, which is good.
So, of course, those persons we imagine would be bringing new ideas.
But I think I'm sorry, that is one way we're going to get younger voters involved,
(23:47):
because I've talked to a number of former students and I keep telling them you need to run for this.
So you need to get on board, get on a committee, get on anything to get your name out there.
And then eventually said, well, but I can't leave because I can't leave my job.
So hopefully we'll have persons who could probably sit at their job site with
(24:12):
their iPhone or whatever and vote from right there as those who are home or wherever.
And I think that would empower people more to know that you don't have to get
up and go to a voting center. that you don't have to move from where you are.
You can be in your car and using your phone to vote.
(24:32):
I think that would really help with the process and getting people involved.
Well, again, I want to, again, for more information, please call 772-1200.
Again, I want to bring to everyone's attention that there will be a voting expo
with the VI election system, the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands, and AARP in St.
(24:53):
Croix. It's Tuesday, August 13th at the Sunny Isle Pavilion from 10 to 3,
music with the 10 Sleepless Nights, St.
Thomas, August 15th, Thursday, Tutu Park Mall from 10 to 3, and the music will
be provided by the Quelbe Resurrection.
If you have questions, St. Croix 340, I'm sorry, 773-1021, St.
(25:17):
Thomas 774-3107.
But try if you have concerns try to get down to look at the machines do that
a lot of persons when they come on election they are somewhat intimidated don't
be so many don't be intimidated work in there right they're there to help you
(25:37):
right uh judge I said is a person who you would,
speak to if there's any problem and we'll need to yeah, we'll need to wrap
up I'm getting The clock on the wall says.
Yes. Thank you. And the absentee ballots should be mailed, if you have them,
by August 3rd. Don't forget.
Okay. We will do that. We will do that.
(25:59):
I will thank you so much for your insight, your service to the community,
and I wish everyone well during this election season. Take care. Thank you. Thank you.
Have a great day. The views expressed
on this program are not necessarily those of WTJX's board, staff.
Music.
The views expressed on this program are not necessarily those of WTJX's board,
staff, or underwriters.
Good day. You are listening to Ability Radio.
I'm one of your hosts, Amelia Hedley-Lamont of the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands.
And today, the word for today is elections.
(00:25):
And our very special guest today is Alecia Wells. She is the chairwoman of the
Virgin Islands Board of Elections. Good day, Ms. Wells.
How are you? Good day, Jabilia. How are you? Well, as we said earlier, it's been a good one.
We haven't even mentioned each other's names, probably not to each other.
That's right. Great. Thank you for having me. Thanks for the invitation.
(00:49):
And I trust that the information we'll be sharing with the public will be well
received And something that would help at least one person to be able to get
a better understanding of what the board does and with this election cycle,
because we're now in full election mode.
I see. I've had an opportunity to look at your calendar and see you will be
(01:13):
very busy over the course of many weeks.
Just for background information, what is the role of the Board of Elections?
Tell us what what do the members of the Board of Elections do?
Well, there are 14 members on the Board of Election.
We have to seek election to the Board of Election from our district.
(01:33):
There's a St. Croix district and there's a St. Thomas, St. John district.
So there are two districts. We used to have a joint board where we had a board in St.
Croix and a board in St. Thomas, St. John, and that has been changed by legislation.
We now have one board. We have the chair, which is from one particular district,
(01:55):
and that's an elected position within the board. The board members vote on that chair.
Once the person is elected at the meeting that the other elected officials attend,
one chair is elected, a vice chair and a secretary.
(02:15):
The chair comes from one district, the vice chair from another district,
and the secretary usually is from the district that house the chairman.
For example, I'm chair and the secretary is from the St. Thomas, St. John district.
(02:36):
This year, we have a vice chair who's also from the same district.
That normally doesn't happen often because it's best to have input from both districts.
We meet quarterly.
We do mostly registration. Registration to get persons registered,
(03:00):
in that same word, so that they can vote in the upcoming elections.
We've had a change by legislation also.
A lot of tasks that were previously, like in the last 20 years or more,
(03:21):
done by the board is now the job of the supervisor of election.
We do mostly registration, and then we have machine testing.
And today is a good day. Today is a day that persons can go to the various election
offices in their district and look at the machines that are going to be used
(03:44):
in the primary election come August 5th.
Right.
Questions. I know that the one question we had that persons used to ask about
persons who were incarcerated.
If you're at one of our correctional facilities and you've just been arrested,
(04:09):
you haven't been convicted of anything, right?
Convicted or anything, you're not a felon. We can go there once we know that
you're there and you'd like to have us come and register you to vote.
Now, how would somebody who is incarcerated be able to even contact your office?
Well, I imagine they would have to go through persons in charge at the prison,
(04:32):
but the persons in charge will call the office.
Our office number on St. Thomas is 340-776-7000.
777-724-2391. That's St. John, I'm sorry.
And 340-773-4523 in St.
(04:54):
Croix or 774-3107 in St.
Thomas. And then the supervisor of the prison will let us know their 1,
2, 3, or whatever number of inmates who would like to be registered.
And the board members will go there.
And I'm telling you, that's an experience. I did it one time. Oh, okay.
(05:17):
We'll go there and we'll fill out the applications as if they were in our office.
And we would take that back to the office. And then when it's time for the voting,
we would take the ballot to them and have them vote on their ballots and seal their ballots.
And then we would take it back to the office to be counted. So nobody is disenfranchised.
(05:41):
And of course, you know, we have absentee ballots.
And we also have, I'm hoping in my lifetime, I'll be able to see us vote from
our phones at home in our living room, because I think that is going to get
more young people involved.
Because a lot of times the young people are working and they're so much into
(06:03):
their iPhone and their iPad and their whatever, they can't or won't leave to go and register to vote.
So I think that's one thing that the entire board, in addition to the election
system of the Virgin Islands, are going to be pushing that we get voting from
any device in your house.
Now, point of clarification, it's my understanding that the primary election
(06:26):
day is this Saturday, August 3rd, correct?
Primary, I'm just checking also.
Primary election, August, the casting of lots.
Right, so that's correct. So it would be today, August 3rd.
(06:51):
For our purposes. Yeah. Yeah. Let me ask you this.
What is required? I mean, when you're doing the registration as a member of
the elections board, board of elections, what is required for a person to be able to vote?
Because you've already covered one thing. Any copies of anything,
because we like to make our own copies, because when we see a copy of something
(07:14):
we don't know is a copy of what, but when we see the original,
so you can bring your passport,
DD-214 for persons who've been in the service, naturalization paper.
We would take the birth certificate, but you know, our birth certificates have no picture on it.
So the passport, I think, will be the best thing for you to bring.
(07:38):
Wherever there's a voter's registration drive, it's usually for two hours or more. You take that.
There's a board member there that will fill out a form, put all that information
on the election system form.
And then we would give you, if we don't have a, in the office,
you can get your voter's registration card right away, which looks almost like a driver's license.
(08:02):
Because we don't move the machine back and forth for obvious reasons.
We'll give you a card that has a seal on it, and you can use that to vote if
you want to take that card into one of our offices,
and you'll give that up, and then you'll sit and get your picture ID taken,
because there's no picture on the card.
(08:22):
You may do that, or you could just vote with the card that you would be given
at your initial registration time. Okay.
So, in order to be a qualified elector, that's another word that's used,
I noticed, quite a bit, you have to be a U.S.
Citizen or a naturalized citizen, correct?
Correct. 18 years old or older.
(08:44):
Yes. And meet a residency requirement. What is that, do you know,
what is that residency requirement? Well, I thought, I think the resident, I'm not sure.
I think the residency requirement is 30 days.
I know that we've had different, different persons offering different services.
(09:07):
Thoughts on the time. But I think it's 30 days, and I'm going to check on that
before this program is over so I can be sure to give correct information.
Okay. Well, we're only a phone call away.
There's another piece that was discussed, a topic of conversation within the
(09:28):
disability rights world, and that was some language that suggested that you
can vote provided that you are not a judged
mentally incompetent as to your ability to vote,
which in my mind is a very rare situation.
I mean, why would an individual go to a court and say, this person is not competent to vote?
(09:49):
I think if I'm following that language very strictly, I think I tend to err
on your side as far as there's no limits or very few restrictions with respect
to being able to go to the polls and, you know, cast a ballot. it.
So I just wanted to... Correct. I've never had that situation in my time on
the board. Right. I'd be shocked if you did.
(10:10):
Yes. If you did. Right. So, and obviously another requirement is that you're
not registered elsewhere.
And I know we can... Right. What we do also is you're asked that that's part
of the registration process and you're asked and you're registered to vote someplace
else and all we can do is whatever you tell us, right? Right.
If you say you're registered to vote in in
(10:32):
Arizona and i would ask you
when last you voted in arizona because that's a question on the
application form and if you said i voted the
on the last election there then there's a form I would give you would fill
that out say because you can't be registered to vote in two places right and
so there's a form you would fill out saying that you're not registering to vote
(10:54):
in the united states virgin islands and you'd like to cancel your registration in arizona so you'll
fill that form out and you'll sign it and then that that the assistance.
In the office will get in touch with the assistant in Arizona and you would be canceled in Arizona.
(11:15):
So your only place to vote would be then in the Virgin Islands.
But like we say, it's only what you tell us we would know. Right, right, right.
That's the process that we would use. You fill out the form and then we send
it or we have a conversation.
Not the board members, but someone in the office at the election system would do that.
(11:37):
Well, one of the things I noticed, I did a little research on you this morning,
and one of the statements that you had made is that, you know,
in your tenure as chairperson of the Board of Elections is to,
you want to make sure that there's more public education,
right, in order to enhance the election experience.
And one of the things I wanted to at least let our listening audience know about
(11:57):
is that there will be a voting expo that will be sponsored by the VI Election
System, AARP, and the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands. It will be held in St.
Croix on Tuesday, August 13th, at the Sunny Isle Pavilion from 10 to 3 p.m.
And music will be featured by the Ten Sleepless Nights.
(12:18):
And in St. Thomas, it will be held on Thursday, August 15th,
at Tutu Park Mall, also from 10 to 3, music by Quelbe Resurrection.
So we're trying to make the education process a little bit more fun.
What do you think, Ms. Wells?
I think that's wonderful. Tutu Park Mall is an excellent venue.
(12:38):
I know almost all of the persons in Quelbe Resurrection.
It has good music, so you can go, register, and dance, which is a good thing to be able to do.
It's a stress-free area. It's air-conditioned. It's comfortable and cool.
You can shop if you want to. A lot of people like to go to those expos because they get excited.
(13:05):
Free things. They get information. They get to see their friends who they haven't seen for a while.
So I hope that all the persons listening will go out on the 13th in St. Croix or the 15th on St.
Thomas to take advantage of this opportunity.
Can I ask if there's any means of transportation set up for persons from St.
(13:28):
John to TuTu Park Mall? All of you?
Good question. What I would suggest is for more information that the individual
should call our office at 772-1200.
That's an excellent question. Yeah, that's an excellent question.
Because one of the, again, topics of conversation within the Disability Rights
Network is what kinds of supports are being offered, particularly for voters
(13:52):
with disabilities, right?
And so arguably that.
Transportation, accessible transportation would be one.
Now, as a matter of practice, the Disability Rights Center does not provide
those kinds of services.
But, you know, I think a question should be asked. How can that be facilitated?
And since... Especially coming from St. John, that's always a problem.
(14:14):
Right, right, right. No, totally understandable. Totally understandable.
So, yeah, I would recommend that our audience please call 772-1200 for more
information about the Expo and how to make it a successful event,
which we hope it will be and trust that it will be.
I also learned that the election results in 2022, we had a voter turnout of
(14:38):
about 57%. What's your take on that, Ms. Wells?
57%. Totally, yeah.
I think it's fair. It's good. We should always try to do better.
We know that on the year when there's no gubernatorial election,
the turnout is always less.
(15:00):
So I imagine that this year, it'll probably be a lot less than it will be in two years from now.
Because when we have a gubernatorial election, more people show up and are interested in that.
Then because of all the news that we've been getting about all the corruption
and a lot of persons and a lot of my friends also are telling me they're not going.
(15:24):
I say, when you don't go, you're actually voting for whoever wins. Right.
So I think 57% is okay, but we should always strive to do better and higher.
I like to hear like an 80% voters turnout or better.
Right. But I think this year is going to be, I think this year,
(15:45):
this coming election in November is going to be less than that.
That's my personal prediction.
Because I just, like I said in speaking to voters who are my friends and relatives,
they tell me, well, I'm not going.
I'm not going because they're all a bunch of croaks of yada, yada, yada.
I say, but when you don't go, you're actually voting for whoever wins.
(16:06):
And, you know, we've worked hard to get this vote.
Right. worked very hard to get this vote, so you need to go.
I said that we've given you all kinds of means to vote. You have an absentee
ballot. We had early voting.
You know, we just try to make it so that it's available to anyone who wants
(16:27):
to have it available to them.
So we need to try really hard to go out there. But this year,
I think it's going to be a lot less than that.
But come two years from now, we're going to be back up in the percentage.
Some jurisdictions, not that I'm advocating for this, I just recently came back
from a trip in South America, and I was told in the country of Ecuador,
(16:48):
everyone is required to vote. If you don't vote, you get fined.
Oh, my goodness. Yeah, I know. I had that same reaction.
So you better believe it looked like almost 100% vote because no one is going
to be paying for not voting.
And again, I'm not advocating. Those persons who are, I wonder how to make sure
that they must go house to house. I don't know. I don't know.
(17:12):
But yeah, I mean, that's, you know, that's how seriously some jurisdictions
take the process, right? Right.
So your approach makes a lot of sense.
Public education, encouragement, you know, and for me, from my observation,
the voting process was a way to see your friends, you know, be involved.
(17:34):
You know, it was a fun day, really. Yeah, exactly.
That's why a lot of people do not go to early voting. They'll tell you. Yeah.
I don't see all my friends that day. And it's like those family picnics that
you would see where people have their baskets of food and they go and sit under the tree.
Because I remember a few years ago at the election office in Lockett Garden,
(17:59):
one Sunday, I'll never forget that one Sunday, the line was almost down the mall.
Because persons would go to church and then they came in.
Early vote and of course they saw their friends
there because they planned it and it was like a really good socialization thing
and people love that yeah that's wonderful
(18:22):
no you know that's how it always felt and i i do appreciate i believe it was
a fairly well don't date me i'm thinking it's recent but you know when I say
recent it might be seven or ten years ago but the fact that You know, a person. Right.
So the canvassing, I do appreciate that the canvassing was kept at a distance
(18:44):
because in the past that used to be very intrusive. You know,
somebody coming up to you. Yes. And that's that's a good thing that has happened.
And one other thing is we now have voting centers. And, you know,
sometimes you'll have to leave one area where you're doing something,
your personal business to get to where you're supposed to vote.
Now you go to any voting center and vote there. That is an excellent change.
(19:06):
So you don't have to rush from one end of the island to the other to vote.
You just go into the nearest voting center and you get to vote.
So that's a good thing. Do you think the public really understands that?
Because that is such a revelation.
No, I don't think that all the persons, and I use that term loosely because we're all... Right.
(19:29):
Yeah. But from habit, we know that if we lived in and I can only talk about the Virgin Islands.
No, I know my uncle lived in La Grange. I could talk about that.
If you lived in La Grange, you had to go to the certain voting center that was near there.
Now, because if he's in Christian said delivering some food,
he doesn't have to go all the way back to La Grange to vote.
(19:51):
He can go to wherever a center is in that area. and I think the more we talk
about that, the more the public will see how much easier and convenient the
system is making it for you to cast your vote.
And also, and I've used it.
If you're in a wheelchair, the judge, the judge is the person that's in charge
(20:12):
of the voting center that they can bring the voting machine down to where you're
comfortable in the chair.
You don't have to get out of the chair, the DS-200 or the express vote,
and you can bring it right down to your level so you can vote like that.
Now, I like the express vote because to me, you get a chance to make your own
(20:32):
ballot. And once a person goes into the voting center, they can ask to use any
one of those means to vote.
It's up to you. Now, an express vote is that... So we're trying to make it so
that a good segue is that today they're testing the electronic voting machines
and the tabulating equipment.
(20:55):
And these have all been certified by the board for the primary election.
So today the public is welcome to go into any election office and look at them
and ask questions about the voting machines and see how they work.
Now, by express vote, you're talking about the electronic machines.
The electronic voting machines? And the DS-200, the express vote is the one
(21:16):
where you're given a choice and you pick your choice. You're actually making your own ballot.
And then you take that ballot, that piece of paper, and then you put it in the
machine and that counts your vote. I particularly like that.
And I've introduced that to a lot of seniors and some persons with disability on St.
John. And they were eager to try that, which I was happy to see because the
(21:38):
younger people, they don't want to try it most of the time. Right.
Now, how is that different from the paper ballot?
Because I think they still do that. It doesn't matter. You can have any means you can use. Right.
You have a choice. You have a choice. Like it says...
I like apple, oranges, or grapes. You can choose which one of those you want.
And you're really making your own ballot according to the choices that are given to you.
(22:01):
That's very good. And once you've made your choice, there's a card that you
would put in the machine at the outset.
And that would list your choices. It also says in number one, you voted for grape.
Number two question, you voted for this. It tells you exactly what you voted
for before you say, okay, this is what I want.
(22:21):
And then once you've done that, and this ballot that you made comes back out
to you, then you just put it in the DS-200 and that comes to your ballot. It's very interesting.
And very efficient, apparently. Now, I believe before we opened up this conversation,
you had talked about you were hoping that we can move towards a day in which,
(22:43):
or maybe, again, maybe we've already discussed it, but I think it needs to be
repeated, to make the voting process more convenient.
And that is, for example, using your phone or your iPhone or your iPod tablet
or whatever tablet you use to vote.
Yes. Is there any movement afoot in that direction here locally?
(23:04):
We've talked about it at our board meeting.
We've talked about it with a supervisor where we're looking at means,
you know, like people don't like change. Yeah.
We're just so comfortable in what we're doing. and we don't like change.
So it's going to be a gradual thing, but I'm hoping to see that in my lifetime.
(23:25):
And I think that we're moving in the right direction.
We're getting board members who are more people are interested in seeking a
seat on the board of election, which is good.
So, of course, those persons we imagine would be bringing new ideas.
But I think I'm sorry, that is one way we're going to get younger voters involved,
(23:47):
because I've talked to a number of former students and I keep telling them you need to run for this.
So you need to get on board, get on a committee, get on anything to get your name out there.
And then eventually said, well, but I can't leave because I can't leave my job.
So hopefully we'll have persons who could probably sit at their job site with
(24:12):
their iPhone or whatever and vote from right there as those who are home or wherever.
And I think that would empower people more to know that you don't have to get
up and go to a voting center. that you don't have to move from where you are.
You can be in your car and using your phone to vote.
(24:32):
I think that would really help with the process and getting people involved.
Well, again, I want to, again, for more information, please call 772-1200.
Again, I want to bring to everyone's attention that there will be a voting expo
with the VI election system, the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands, and AARP in St.
(24:53):
Croix. It's Tuesday, August 13th at the Sunny Isle Pavilion from 10 to 3,
music with the 10 Sleepless Nights, St.
Thomas, August 15th, Thursday, Tutu Park Mall from 10 to 3, and the music will
be provided by the Quelbe Resurrection.
If you have questions, St. Croix 340, I'm sorry, 773-1021, St.
(25:17):
Thomas 774-3107.
But try if you have concerns try to get down to look at the machines do that
a lot of persons when they come on election they are somewhat intimidated don't
be so many don't be intimidated work in there right they're there to help you
(25:37):
right uh judge I said is a person who you would,
speak to if there's any problem and we'll need to yeah, we'll need to wrap
up I'm getting The clock on the wall says.
Yes. Thank you. And the absentee ballots should be mailed, if you have them,
by August 3rd. Don't forget.
Okay. We will do that. We will do that.
(25:59):
I will thank you so much for your insight, your service to the community,
and I wish everyone well during this election season. Take care. Thank you. Thank you.
Have a great day. The views expressed
on this program are not necessarily those of WTJX's board, staff.
Music.
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