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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsLocal newsElection System Celebrates Achievement in Its Ranks

Election System Celebrates Achievement in Its Ranks

 

One of the top officials of the Election System of the Virgin Islands has completed the academic requirements needed to become a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator. Deputy Elections Supervisor Kevermay Douglas will soon receive her credentials, according to a statement from the National Association of Election Officials.

“This is the highest designation available to elections and registration officials,” said election center director Tim Mattice. To achieve certification, Douglas completed a multi-year series of courses offered through Auburn University’s School of Public Administration.

The newly-certified Virgin Islands official performs the duties of deputy supervisor in the St. Thomas-St. John-Water Island district. Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes said Douglas is now the latest member of the system to achieve a nationally recognized status.

“I have it; members of the board have it. She’s the 10th person. We had 15. Five of them retired,” Fawkes said. “There are 12 courses — they’re not easy courses. You take it over time, based on your schedule.”

Because members of the Board of Elections and the election system come from different professional backgrounds, officials in the Virgin Islands feel professional development helps them work together as a cohesive team. As an additional benefit, Virgin Islanders meet and study alongside their stateside counterparts.

Through those associations, students meet system workers who use the same technology and sometimes work with novel systems newly discovered. “You are certified in election-related topics,” the supervisor said.

The professional education center is a non-profit organization for voter registration workers, administrators, and election service providers.

About 1,400 election workers from across the U.S. have completed the administrator’s course. Douglas completed her studies as one in a class of 85, Fawkes said.

“The Virgin Islands is indeed fortunate to have Ms. Kevermay Douglas as one of the top designated professionals in America. Obtaining and maintaining CERA/CERV status means that she has committed to a career-long process of continuing education to improve the electoral process in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the nation,” Mattice said.

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