#BTColumn – Red washed by Mia mania

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today Inc.

Who would believe that after two years some Democratic Labour Party (DLP) supporters are still trying to attribute the massive Barbados Labour Party (BLP) 2018 General Election victory to ‘low voter turnout’? In my opinion, the voter turnout of approximately 60 per cent was insignificant in the BLP’s victory. In fact, the voter turnout from 1991 has been in the low sixties, ranging from 60 to 63.72 per cent, in every single election, with the BLP winning four of these elections and the DLP three.

Over the past 30 years, voter apathy has been on the increase with many young voters showing absolutely no interest in voting. Also, there has been an increase in persons not voting because of religious affiliation. In addition, the Voters’ List contains the names of many who live abroad or are deceased. One can conclude that voter turnout in the low sixties is now the new normal in Barbados. And in truth and in fact, 60 per cent voter turnout can be considered high insofar as people who actually vote are concerned. Unfortunately, we will never be able to determine the number of “non-voters” (people who do not vote) in Barbados.

In 2018, the BLP defeated the DLP by a massive margin of 77, 983 votes or 72.83 per cent of the votes cast, amassing 111, 968 votes. It was the first time in the history of Barbados that any Party got more than 100, 000 votes. Would a higher voter turnout have made any difference to the fortunes of the DLP? Certainly not. Nothing short of a miracle would have.

The highest voter turnout in Barbados was 81.64 per cent in 1971. If the 1971 turnout had been reached in 2018 and ALL the additional votes (54, 657) given to the DLP, they would still have fallen short of the 77, 983 votes which the BLP won by. Individually, the DLP candidates lost by such massive margins (2, 000, 3, 000 and even 4, 000 votes) that an 81.64 per cent turnout would not have seen any changes in their fortunes. Chris Sinckler, who lost by 498 votes, was the only one who might have stood a ghost of a chance.

It must be noted that in 2018, the DLP recorded its lowest total (33, 985 votes) since 1956, while the BLP recorded its largest total ever (111, 968 votes).

Finally, any attempt to diminish the Mottley influence on the 2018 elections is an exercise in futility. There can be no doubt that Mia mania was the most significant contributing factor in the DLP being red-washed 30 love.

(Note: The confirmed 2018 voter turnout percentage was unavailable at the time of writing.)

E.Jerome Davis.

Author of1. From Bajan To Standard English

2.Understanding Bajan Dialect; for Tourists and Visitors to Barbados.

3.Morals and Values for Living

4. Essential Words and Meanings

5. Highlighting the Issues: 101 Letters to the Editor

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