On March 20th, the Island Council Elections take place. Here you will find more information that you will need in order to cast your vote.

When are the elections held? 
The Island Council Elections will be held on Wednesday, March 20th, 2019. You can cast your vote at one of the polling stations on Saba, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Who may vote?
All residents of Saba who are at least 18 years of age and in the possession of a valid form of identification, are eligible to vote.

What do you need to bring?
To vote, you will need to bring along your personal voting pass and a valid identification. This can be a Dutch passport, an identification card or a driver’s license of the public entity. Without a valid identification and voting pass, you will not be able to vote.

Identification expired?
Your identity card is allowed to be expired for a maximum of five years on election day and therefore its validity date must be at least until March 21, 2014. Is your identity card expired for more than five years on election day? Then you can request a new identity card at the Census Office.

What if you don’t have a voting pass?
Everyone who is eligible to vote on March 20th has received a personal voting pass in the mail. If you have not received your voting pass, or if it is lost or damaged, you should request a new pass as soon as possible. New voting passes may be requested in writing until Friday, March 15th, 2019. Or visit the Census Office personally with your valid identification no later than 12:00 noon on Tuesday, March 19th, 2019.

Where are the polling stations located?
You may vote at one of the following polling stations:

What if you are unable to cast your vote?
If you are unable to cast a vote on March 20th, you can have someone else cast your vote on your behalf. This can be arranged easily in two different ways:

1) Written proxy
2) Private proxy

What if you want to make use of a written proxy?
You can give a written proxy when you:

• are eligible to vote,
• know that you will be unable to cast your vote personally on election day,
• have not received your voting pass yet,
• do not have a valid identification,
• have a form of identification that has expired by more than 5 years.

If you would like to make use of a written proxy you will need to pick-up a form at the Census Office. Please fill out the form completely. Make sure that the form is signed both by you and by the person you are authorizing to vote on your behalf. Hand in the completed form at the Census Office no later than on March, 15th. They will arrange for the authorized person to be able to pick-up the voting pass.

How does private proxy work?
You can give a private proxy when you:

• are eligible to vote,
• know that you will be unable to cast your vote personally on election day,
• have received your voting pass,
• have a valid form of identification.

If you would like to make use of a private proxy, simply fill out the back of your voting pass. That makes you the “principal”, while the person who will be voting on your behalf will be the “authorized person”. Please provide the authorized person with your voting pass and (a copy of) your identification.

Important:

• Prevent abuse of your ID. Write on the copy of your identification that it is only meant to be used for casting your proxy vote and ask the authorized person to return the copy after they casted your vote.
• The person who votes on your behalf must be living on the same island as you and can only cast your proxy vote at the same time they deposit their own vote.
• The authorized person can deposit a maximum of two votes on behalf of other people.

Warning!

• Only give someone power of attorney on your behalf if you are unable to go vote yourself.
• Bribery and buying of votes by means of gifts or promises in order to gain power of attorney to vote are illegal and punishable by law.
• The person who is being bribed or whose vote is bought is punishable by law as well.
• If anyone pressures you into giving them power of attorney to vote, report this to the authorities. As a victim you will not be prosecuted.

What should I do in the voting booth?

• You vote by yourself. You cannot be accompanied in the voting booth.
• You cast your vote by coloring the entire white box next to the candidate of your choice with the red colored pencil.
• Made a mistake? Ask for a new voting ballot. You can only do so once.
• After casting your vote, fold the ballot so that the list is not visible.
• Place your voting ballot in the ballot box of the same color as your voting ballot.

Attention: in case you are eligible to vote in both the Island Council elections of Saba and the electoral college elections, you will receive (upon submission of both voting passes) two separate voting ballots. Fill in the voting ballots in the voting booth and deposit each in the corresponding ballot box. The ballot boxes of the Island Council elections and the electoral college elections each have a different color that matches the color of the respective voting ballots.

Can I cast a blank vote?
You may cast a blank vote. You do so by not coloring any box. In that case the voting ballot is left completely empty. If you write or draw anything on the voting ballot, you will cast an invalid vote instead of a blank vote.

When is my vote valid?
You vote for one single candidate. Your vote is valid when you color in the entire white box next to the candidate of your choice with the red pencil without writing or drawing anything else on the ballot.

Is my vote secret?
Voting is secret. You are not required to tell anyone who or which party you voted for. People who pressure you are punishable by law. If you feel pressured or threatened in any way, you can report this to the authorities.

Why is voting important?
By voting, you will help to decide the composition of the Island Council for the coming four years. Your vote influences the Island Council’s decision making and the future of your island. On Wednesday, March 20th, you
can choose the person who will speak for you.

More information?
Do you want to learn more about the Island Council Elections? Visit our Facebook page Island Council Elections 2019.

RCN