8,000 Samoans start to cast pre-polling votes

Gym 2 is the main polling booth for voters who cannot travel to vote in their constituencies.

Staff Reporters

APIA, SAMOA – 05 APRIL 2021: 8,000 Samoan voters started casting their votes today in the four days pre-polling ahead of the general election on Friday 09 April. The 8,000 voters include pensioners, those with special needs and essential workers who will be required to work on general election day. The pensioners and those with special needs were accompanied by their carers.

Figures from the Office of the Electoral Commissioner say the 8,000 voters make up the 128,822 voters registered to vote in the 2021 general elections.

The Office said there was a slight mix up at the main polling booth at Gymnasium 2 at the Faleata Sports Complex as voters rushed in at once when the booth opened at 0900 this morning.

This special polling both is for voters who cannot travel to cast their votes in Savaii and at their villages for certain reasons.

Some of the voters outside the Gym 2 polling booth this morning.

The other voters registered for the pre-polling are still required to cast their votes at the constituency where they are registered.

432 polling booths have been allocated around the country for the general election.

It is a short working week in Samoa with today the Easter Monday holiday and Thursday and Friday as public holidays to ensure voters do cast their votes.

Voting is compulsory and a penalty applies if a voter fails to cast their vote.

The general election provisional results are expected on Friday evening.

The race for power is between the main parties HRPP and FAST with the smaller parties Tautua Samoa, Samoa First, SIS and several independents who hope to be the decider if the final numbers are too close.