GECOM apologises to disability community over polling day access challenges

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has issued an apology to members of the disability community after many were unable to properly access polling stations during Monday’s General and Regional Elections, despite longstanding recommendations for better facilities.

At a Monday night press conference at the Commission’s Media Centre at the Regency Hotel, Georgetown, GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward acknowledged the recurring challenge and admitted that the Commission fell short of providing fully accessible polling stations, particularly where public buildings and private residences were used.

“I want to really apologise to the members of the disability community. I am very cognisant that this is an issue we continue to face,” Ward said.

She explained that under the law, electors must be placed at specific polling stations within their divisions and subdivisions. As a result, some voters with disabilities were assigned to stations that lacked ramps or other provisions for easier access.

To mitigate this, Ward said presiding officers were instructed to provide assistance where necessary to ensure persons with disabilities were still able to cast their ballots. But she conceded that this remained a significant area of concern.

The issue of accessibility adds to the list of challenges GECOM addressed throughout polling day. Earlier, Ward clarified questions raised over Bangladeshi nationals voting on Commonwealth identification cards, multiple voters registered at one address, the positioning of voting compartments, and procedures for persons without ID cards.

Ward also responded to questions about the Commission’s website, which experienced technical difficulties during the day. The “Find Your Polling Station” query tool was intermittently down, causing frustration for some voters.

“Our IT team worked around the clock to ensure that fixes were put in place and that the system was live and running within the shortest possible time,” Ward assured reporters.

She added that GECOM has since launched a dedicated SOP gallery portal and continues to monitor the website to prevent further disruptions.

Despite these challenges, GECOM maintained that the voting process was conducted peacefully and in full compliance with the law, with reported issues addressed transparently as they arose.