Reacting angrily to a May St. Thomas-St. John District Elections Board decision to only open one polling place per island for primary elections later this year, the V.I. Legislature voted Thursday to override the elected Elections Board and mandate at least four polling places districtwide.
Sen. Janette Millin-Young proposed the measure, arguing that having so few polling places would effectively disenfranchise some voters. She initially proposed requiring "more than one polling place on each island," but Sen. Neville James offered an amendment to require at least four polling places in the district.
Sen. Usie Richards and others raised concerns over the fact that federal law prohibits changes to the election laws within six months of the election. Richards also questioned usurping the authority of another elected body.
"It is a scary thing when this body wants to assume the duties of the elected members of the joint board of elections, and a district board that clearly has jurisdiction," Richards said.
Sen. Neville James said he agreed "in theory" with Richards’ position, but said "there are times when extenuating circumstances require us to step up when we can, given the chaos at the Board of Elections since it was sworn in, in 2011."
"Technically, Sen. Richards is correct, we are within the six-month time frame," James said a bit later in the discussion.
Sen. Louis Hill said the Legislature should send the Elections Board a message "but I don’t think we need a law."
After the vote approving the measure, Senate President Ronald Russell said the bill would probably not become law.
"Let me just say clearly, there is likely a veto pen waiting for this as we are in the six-month window," Russell said.
Voting yea were James, Millin-Young, Russell, Sens. Craig Barshinger, Carlton "Ital" Dowe, Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, Shawn-Michael Malone, Terrence "Positive" Nelson, Nereida "Nellie" Rivera-O’Reilly, Sammuel Sanes, Patrick Sprauve and Alvin Williams. Voting nay were Richards and Hill. Sen. Celestino White was absent on medical leave.
The measure was enacted as an amendment to an unrelated piece of legislation bringing V.I. apprentice programs into conformity with federal grant requirements. That bill was used as a vehicle for a number of unrelated amendments, including measures:
– from Nelson, requiring the Economic Development Authority to provide low (3 percent) interest loans to small businesses "to help secure their financial viability;"
– from Dowe, saying the Board of Education cannot require a vendor number to process scholarships, grants or loans;
– from Dowe and Sprauve, waiving all interest and penalties for property taxes from 2002 to 2010, if the principal is paid in the next six months;
– from Dowe and Millin-Young, taking $200,000 in funds remaining from parking lot renovations on St. John to renovate St. John’s Pine Peace Basketball Court;
– From Dowe, letting the Government Employee Retirement System and the V.I. Housing Finance Authority purchase properties otherwise slated for tax auction, for the amount of the past due tax;
– from Hill, exempting electric and hybrid vehicles, and their batteries from customs duties and taxes;
– from Russell saying no department head who is a member of the governor’s cabinet can be appointed to chair any board or commission of any autonomous or semi-autonomous V.I. government agency;
– from Malone, to have GERS Governing Board members elected by both current government employees and retirees, as well as the retirees that presently elect board members;
– and from O’Reilly, requiring any government body that enters into an agreement requiring approval from the Legislature to submit the agreement at least 90 days before the effective date of the agreement, so the Legislature can always have a chance to thoroughly examine the agreement.
