The polling station at the Fire Station in The Bottom opened on Monday morning. Eligible Sabans, 907 persons in total, can cast their vote for the Second Chamber elections at this location on Monday, March 15, Tuesday, March 16, and Wednesday, March 17. On Wednesday, the second polling station will open at the Eugenius Johnson Center in the Windwardside. Voting is from 7:30am to 9:00pm.

Island Governor Jonathan Johnson on Monday morning visited the polling station in The Bottom where he spoke with a small group of form 4 and 5 students of the Saba Comprehensive School who are observing the Second Chamber elections on all three voting days as part of their Social Studies class.

Johnson explained to the students how the voting process works, what the difference is between the Second Chamber elections and the local island Council elections, and why the Second Chamber elections are important even though the Netherlands is far away.

“It is good for the students to see for themselves how the elections are carried out,” said Johnson. SCS student Vernisha Robinson: “It is a great opportunity and an eye-opener for us how the elections work. The workings of government and elections are part of our Social Studies. It is also interesting to learn how the Second Chamber elections differ from the local elections. Our teacher Michele Martie and our coach Gerald Simmons-de Jong thought it would be good for us to get this exposure.”

As an extension to the UNICEF project of late 2020 and the Children’s Rights Week, Simmons-de Jong asked the students to participate in observing the Second Chamber elections. As part of the Unicef project, a number of the students took part in the online inter-island debate and lobby session with Member of the Second Chamber Stieneke van der Graaf (ChristianUnion) and State Secretary Raymond Knops (CDA) in December last year. The aim of this UNICEF project is to strengthen the voice of the youth in the Caribbean Netherlands.

GIS Saba