As the countdown to the general election begins, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) has not yet filled all its vacancies for presiding officers and poll clerks to work during the polls.

Presiding officers in parts of the Corporate Area were still recruiting members of the public to come forward and offer themselves for service this week.

More than 25 per cent of the spaces for presiding officer and poll clerks in the Corporate Area have not been filled, according to Neville Graham, the EOJ's public education officer.

The local observer group, Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE), are expected to use its volunteers to make up the shortage of electoral personnel for tomorrow's election.

Training

With the 15 constituencies in Kingston and St. Andrew, it is believed that up to Monday more than 800 persons were needed to facilitate the elections in the Corporate Area.

Indications were that some persons would work on election day without receiving the four training sessions recommended by returning officers.

There are 6,359 polling divisions (PDs) in the 60 constituencies throughout the island, according to a Gleaner report in September. Approximately one quarter of these, or 1,600 PDs would be in the Corporate Area, and about 400 would still be in need of personnel. One presiding officer and one poll clerk are needed for each polling division.

Mr. Graham said North West St. Andrew, the constituency held most recently by the Jamaica Labour Party's Derrick Smith, has been particularly slow in recruiting presiding officers and poll clerks. "Out of 200 people needed there we only have 99," Mr. Graham said on Monday afternoon.

Garth Kiddoe, returning officer for East Kingston and Port Royal, said the constituency had its quota of presiding officers in place to man its 115 polling divisions, but 40 more poll clerks were needed.