Bill To Create One Board Of Elections For Entire Territory Moves Ahead

ST. CROIX — A bill sponsored by Senator Kenneth Gittens, who has been working for many months to reform the territory’s election process, was narrowly approved by members of the Committee on Rules and Judiciary, which Mr. Gittens chairs, albeit with some opposition and not before an amendment was added to the measure.

Bill no. 31-0267 would amend Virgin Islands Code to merge all three board of elections — St. Croix District board, St. Thomas District board and the Joint Board of Elections — into one system that would simply be called the Board of Elections; and would govern the entire territory.

The details of the measure, however, caused some concern at the hearing, held at the Fritz E. Lawaetz Legislative Hall here on Wednesday, including from St. Croix District Board Member Raymond Williams, who said some parts of the measure may be unconstitutional. There was also opposition from former Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen, who agreed that the process needed to be streamlined, but said it should be done by the Joint Board of Elections “under the structure that currently exists.”

“It is important that the concerns and positions of the voters of both districts be adequately represented and this would allow for that. However, we cannot have elections run one way in St. Thomas and another in St. Croix. We are one territory and the elections are territorial,” Mrs. Christensen said in a written testimony document provided to The Consortium.

The cause of consternation among those who opposed the measure pertains to how it was constructed. An amendment to the original bill, offered by Mr. Gittens on Wednesday, sees the new board including 9 members — three elected from St. Thomas, four from St. Croix, one from St. John and one elected territory-wide — who can be a resident from either district. And the measure says that no more than two members from a political party may represent either district under the amendment Mr. Gittens added.The bill also kept in place the staggered manner through which board members are elected.

Remembering the chaotic and oftentimes unorganized elections process of 2014, Mr. Gittens said his bill was aimed at simplifying and unifying the territory’s elections system. And the trimming of the board from the current Joint Board of Elections amount of 14 to his proposal of 9, is part of the second-term Democrat’s effort to make elections in the territory a more straightforward process. Making his case, Mr. Gittens said across the U.S., where election boards serve millions, the largest board he’s seen consists of only 11 members.

Stipends for board members during election counts will also be increased if the measure wins the full Senate and Governor Kenneth Mapp’s approval. Regular board members would receive $100 per day, up $15, while the chair would be paid $150, up from $100.

The bill won the committee’s approval with Mr. Gittens, Senators Novelle Francis, Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly and Jean Forge voting in the affirmative. It was opposed by Senators Justin Harrigan, Neville James and Janette Millin Young.

Two bills affecting symbol voting and party primaries were held by the committee.