Bogus votes for PNM in THA election?

Vernella Alleyne-Toppin has claimed there has charged that several people who were not qualified voters cast ballots for the People's National Movement (PNM) in last Monday's Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election.

The MP for Tobago East told the Express newspaper her complaint is legitimate and not a case of "sour grapes". She said, "I have the paperwork to prove there are a number of persons who voted in the election that are not resident citizens in Tobago. Persons from the United States, Barbados, Trinidad and Grenada voted."

THA Chief Secretary and PNM Tobago Council leader Orville London told the paper if the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) has a problem with the result of the election they can take it up with the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

The official EBC list of electors had a total of 46,601 people. The Express said the EBC stated that it had not received any letter indicating the TOP's concerns. 

There was a higher than normal voter turnout for the election in which the PNM won all 12 seats in the THA. The party received more than 19,000 votes; the TOP got just around 11,000 votes and the third party - the Platform for Truth received fewer than 1,000 votes.