We here in Anguilla can say with a great sense of pride that, despite complaints by some persons not altogether familiar with the system or its regulations, our electoral process is free and fair as it can possibly be under the present prevailing circumstances.

There has been much talk in the recent past about electoral reform as part of the revisiting of the current constitution, but it appears that this has had more to do with boundaries, increasing the number of constituencies, voting at large and so on. No system may be perfect, but the registration and voting processes in Anguilla have been relatively smooth and transparent over the years and to our knowledge no one in our small population, for example, has ever been accused of voting more than once or that there had been any real irregularities with the system. It has not been necessary also for voters to dip a finger in red ink after leaving the polling station to safeguard against multiple voting unlike in a number of countries, some of which are not far from our shores.
The preparation, printing, distribution and counting of ballots have also been a very careful undertaking and the ballot boxes themselves have been verified to be free from any tampering and kept under proper surveillance at all times. The entire registration and voting process has always been, and will continue to be, a very complex and painstaking task and a great debt of gratitude is owned to the Supervisor of Elections for his hard work and dedication to duty over a period of many years and to those who work under his keen guidance and supervision as Registration Officers, Returning Officers,Presiding Officers/Enumerators and Polling Clerks. Some individuals, including politicians, may have difficulty with a number of persons coming in from abroad to vote, but until this matter is addressed by Government through amendments to the Election Ordinance, nothing can be done about it by those handling the current electoral system and working with the regulations available to them.
Election time is a serious and extremely sensitive business. It can result in great public outcry, demonstrations, violence and legal battles, if there is any suspicion or indication that something is wrong with the process and that the will of the people is interfered with. It is in this context that many people around the world are expressing concern over the current fallout of the Iranian election and the brutal treatment of citizens there who believe they have good reason to protest. While the international community may look on in dismay, it is really the sovereign duty of Iran to look after the interest of its own people and state of affairs even if it does not care about the prying eyes of the world.
The situation there is a lesson to Governments everywhere that they must have in place an electoral system that is fair and transparent and that, at all times, the democratic system and the rights of the people are respected.

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