We are two days away from what could become
an historic vote in the Cayman Islands.
For the first time in our history, the
Caymanian Compass will produce a newspaper on election day.
But don’t expect it to be filled with pro
and con advertisements, articles about the referendum issue or even letters to
the editor.
We are bound by the same laws that govern
what can and can’t be published on general election days.
We will remind you of polling times and basic
procedures for the day.
As of midnight Tuesday we will take all
advertising about the referendum off our cayCompass.com website. That’s also
the time when all signage about the referendum must be removed throughout the
three Islands.
There are still two more meetings slated
about the One Man One Vote Referendum tonight and tomorrow. The Caymanian
Compass will be there to monitor those meetings, but our coverage of the issue
will end on Tuesday.
The referendum is such an important issue
that staff from the Compass will be covering the election throughout Wednesday,
posting results on our website.
Your Thursday newspaper, which is normally
with retailers on Wednesday evening, will be printed in the wee hours of
Thursday morning and available to you early Thursday morning.
We made the decision to delay printing of
the Thursday paper so that we can bring you the results of the referendum,
photos of the voting activities on Wednesday and comments from the stakeholders
- both pro and con - on Thursday.
While referendums are novel to our country,
elections are not. The same rules and regulations that are enforced on general
election days will be enforced on Wednesday, including a ban on alcohol sales,
polling place restrictions and advertising, be it in print form or on T-shirts.
If you still haven’t made up your mind on
the referendum, we encourage you to spend the next two days educating yourself
about One Man One Vote. And we certainly encourage everyone who is a registered
voter to get out Wednesday and cast your ballot.