Letter of the Day | Make election day a public holiday
Published:Monday | September 8, 2025 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
The September 3 general election may have delivered a third term to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, but it also highlighted the ongoing barriers that prevent too many Jamaicans from exercising their right to vote. A government elected by fewer than four in 10 voters begins its mandate with a legitimacy deficit. That is not healthy for Jamaica’s democracy.
First, turnout was once again historically low, with fewer than 40 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots. This is not simply voter apathy, it is a structural failure. Jamaica’s electoral system assumes citizens live and work in the same parish, but reality is different. Thousands commute daily to Kingston while registered in rural constituencies. On Election Day, they were forced to choose between staying at work or paying for the long trip home, often impossible within the limited voting window.
Young people, especially university students, are among the hardest hit. At The University of the West Indies, Mona, and other tertiary institutions, majority of students come from outside Kingston. To vote, they must find the money to travel back to their home constituencies. For cash-strapped students, bus fares are a prohibitive cost. Many were left out of the process not by choice, but by circumstance.
Compounding these burdens is the fact that election day is not a public holiday. People must negotiate time off with employers or risk lost wages. Students juggle classes and exams. With polls open for only a few hours in some areas, the system all but guarantees that many voices are silenced.
We cannot continue to describe our elections as “free and fair” while maintaining conditions that block full participation. If Jamaica is serious about strengthening democracy, three reforms are urgent: declare Election Day a public holiday, extend polling hours to at least 10–12, and provide support for commuters who shoulder the greatest burden.
Until these barriers are removed, our elections may be technically free, but they will never be fair.
ANYA CUSHNIE