Dear Source,
A year ago a primary for the Republican, Democratic, and Independent Citizens Movement parties was held. A year from now, next Sept. 11, another GOP, Democratic and ICM primary will be held. The three parties represent many similar basic goals, yet the paths for achieving their goals vary greatly.
It is for this reason the Board of Elections is very concerned about the lack of written documentation (in the form of pamphlets) on the principles and beliefs of these parties, as each has a place in Virgin Islands politics and is important to our overall political process.
Local citizens who felt that the Republican and Democratic parties did not have the best interest of Virgin Islanders at heart started the ICM party in the Virgin Islands in 1968. Although the ICM party does not have a national organization, it has 2,501 registered voters in the territory. It also is the only local political party with a pamphlet that clearly explains to voters the party's beliefs and what issues the party is working to solve.
The Democratic Party has over 32,575 registered voters in the territory and really does not need a brochure. With a powerhouse statement like "the party of the poor," many individuals automatically register Democrat. The high number of registered Democratic voters in the territory appears to suggest that this statement appeals to most Virgin Islanders, and one might conclude that the average individual, whether truly poor or well off, prefers not to want to be associated with any party that may have a reputation of helping the rich or being against social programs, such as the GOP.
The Republican Party, or GOP, which has only 3,498 registered voters, has actively made the decision to keep the party small. While this decision has not been helpful in promoting the principles and agenda of the national GOP, it has allowed the local GOP to determine the control of local power and who leads the party within the territory.
The lack of written documentation on two of the three organized parties makes it extremely difficult for the Board of Elections to achieve its mission of ensuring fair and unbiased registrations. The Board of Elections projects that approximately 50 percent of individuals seek information at registration to assist them in determining which party they will register with and most likely vote for. With information from only one of the three organized parties available, the voters often remain undecided and register as "No Party," which has over 17,286 currently registered.
By law, the Board of Elections is not allow to comment for or against, any party. Although the Board of Elections works hard throughout the year to educate and provide potential voters with as much information as possible about the political process, most voters request information about the parties at the time of registration. At present, the only written information the board can distribute to voters is the pamphlet on the ICM party. Pamphlets are not available on the local Democratic and GOP parties.
Not to have this information available to educate the Virgin Islanders is disgraceful and inexcusable. In this situation, the local leadership of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee shows the jackspaniard mentality.
To strengthen our political process and educate registered and potential voters equally about each of the organized political parties, I offer the following recommendations:
1. That the local Republican and Democratic Parties provide voters with the Web address of the RNC and DNC, respectively; and that, if available, the ICM do the same.
2. That the local Republican and Democratic Parties request pamphlets from the RNC and DNC, respectively, to be distributed locally.
3. That the local Republican and Democratic Parties revise and adapt the national pamphlets to reflect local party beliefs and issues, if necessary.
4. That all organized parties appoint registration watchers to be present at remote registration sites (University of the Virgin Islands and high schools) for the voter outreach registration effort to begin early in October 2003 and occur throughout the year through October 2004.
5. That the Virgin Islands party chairs partner with the Boards of Elections to disseminate any written or electronic information pertaining to ICM, DNC and RNC to registered or potential Virgin Islands voters.
In closing, I would like to state that to have a fair and unbiased election system, the citizens of the Virgin Islands must have equal access to facts about each of our organized political parties that clearly and accurately state their political beliefs, solutions and position on the numerous problems facing this beautiful territory.
Finally, I would like to share that Resolution 004 reduces the polling places (primary only) to one per Island in the St. Thomas-St. John district. The primary will be held on Sept. 11, 2004. Registered voters on St. Thomas or Water Island wishing to vote must do so at Charlotte Amalie High School. Registered voters on St. John must vote at Julius E. Sprauve School. If you have any questions pertaining to the upcoming primary or general elections, please call the Election System of the Virgin Islands offices at 774-3107.
Lawrence Boschulte
Chair, St. Thomas-St. John Board of Elections
St. Thomas
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