Thomas C Famous. Photo: VINO/File

Engaging with the people face-to-face in their homes and or in the street. Photo: Provided

It should be made crystal-clear that door to door canvassing and phone banking, is essentially a mammoth task that both parties commit countless time and resources to. Photo: Provided

Canvassing requires us to get out and walk up and down this island in the sun, wind and rain. We do this in order to engage with the people face-to-face in their homes and or in the street. After speaking with them, we ask if they would like to share with us their numbers and emails. In 99 percent of the cases, they happily share the following information with us:

•             Home numbers

•             Cell phone numbers

•             Email address(es)

This information is then entered into our database and there it remains forever until we delete the numbers needed. Simply put, that is how political parties gather and retain contact info, in order to be able to stay in touch with the electorate.

Never ending work

It should be made crystal-clear that door to door canvassing and phone banking, is essentially a mammoth task that both parties commit countless time and resources to. Here is a breakdown of statistics from an electoral standpoint:

•             As of May 2018, there are 46,170 registered voters spread throughout Bermuda

•             On average, most of the 36 constituencies have 1250 registered voters

•             Roughly 4 constituencies have nearly 1450 registered voters

•             Each constituency has on average, 400 households to be visited

               Here are some further realities:

•             Each of the 46,170 registered voters deserves to be visited by those who seek to represent them

•             Not one of the 36 MPs are able to visit 1250-1450 persons annually on their own, as logistically it is a challenge                 for one person to do this all by themselves

•             Each MP/ constituency needs a team of phone bankers, canvassers, persons to work in polling stations, persons                 to serve food and drivers to pick up voters needing a ride to the polling stations.

 VI Decision Day

With an upcoming General Election in the Virgin Islands, I suspect that those wishing to be successful will be out knocking door to door, or finding some other way to have one on one interaction, with their respective voters.

It is all well and fine to have mass rallies and or to take to Radio, TV and or social media.

However, the reality is voters, region wide, are demanding more accountability from politicians both before and after those ballots are cast. Without a doubt they deserve as much.