Unstamped ballots evidence of electoral fraud– Aubrey Norton

DPI, Guyana, Friday, May 22, 2020

The mounting number of irregularities emanating from the ballot boxes of the March 2, 2020, General and Regional elections can no longer be considered “anomalies”, but, according to APNU+AFC counting agent Aubrey Norton, they are incidences at electoral fraud.

These include the more than 8,000 unstamped ballots of the disciplined forces.

Norton told reporters today that there is a close correlation between unstamped ballots and APNU+AFC strongholds.

“We are seeing that wherever there is intermixing with the joint services votes, large amounts of ballots have not been stamped,” Norton said. “So, it shows clearly that these are not anomalies, they are clear evidence of fraud and rigging,” he affirmed.

Norton said the PPP has developed a strategy of focusing on Region Four and its returning Officer Clairmont Mingo when it is clear all other regions recounted so far have unearthed massive rigging.

“They are saying that Mingo rigged, but the evidence is suggesting that in Region One there was rigging, in Region Two there was rigging , in Region Three there was rigging, in Region Four there was rigging, in Region Five there was rigging,” continuing that the tactic is really to shift the focus from what happened in the other regions.

Out of 600+boxes, the counting agents have discovered that many persons voted without Certificates of Employment. The certificates are usually given for polling day staff, who are working at a place away from where he/she was registered to vote.

Agents have found some 59 such cases in Region One, 110 in Region Two, 5 in Region Three, 69 in Region Four and seven in Region Five. Norton explained that while Region Four is a stronghold of the government, the instances of fraud are emanating from certain areas on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara.

There are also some 37 cases of dead persons voting so far. He said death certificates are emerging.

Persons who were out of the jurisdiction at the time of the elections amount so far to 40 in Region One, 229 in Region Two, 408 in Region Three, 310 in Region Four, and 61 in Region Five, totalling some 1,048.

There are other cases where persons voted without an Identification card or an oath of identity. Norton said while several persons voted without their ID’s, the record showed that they also voted without an oath of identity. In Region One -33, Region Two- 7, Region Three-25, Region Four-59 and nine in Region Five.

Norton said the PPP is also using another tactic where they are taking the results that are coming early in the ongoing recount and suggesting that they are leading. He has however urged Guyanese not be misled, since the opposition, like the Coalition Government, has its strongholds.

Regions including Regions One, Two, Three, Five and Six, and Nine are traditionally the stronghold of the opposition. These Regions are usually counted earlier, due to their chronological order. The Coalition government’s strongholds remain Regions Four, Seven, Eight and Ten.

“It means logically that the bulk of our votes will come toward the end,” Norton stated.