VG voter registration gets underway; 'No snap elections!'- Hon Vincent O. Wheatley
Hon Wheatley told Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) in an exclusive interview this morning, Monday, April 28, 2025, “What I realise is a lot of people they always wait last minute to register, only when they hear an election call are they excited to go and register at that point in time, and I’m currently trying to break that cycle.”
These voter registration drives are not a new exercise for Hon Wheatley, who said he has been hosting them at least twice a year.
‘I am a little proactive’- Hon Wheatley
The voter registration drive last Saturday was conducted by Elections Officer Ms Nancy Wood at the District Office at the Nervin Wheatley Building.
Hon Wheatley, who is also the Minister for Health and Social Development, revealed that the drive saw an “unusually high number” of registrations for this time of year as compared to previous years.
“The elections are at least two years out, so people are not excited to vote, and I was surprised at the number who came out to register.”
While the Elections Office is known for running its own campaigns, Hon Wheatley said he is happy to facilitate the officers coming over to Virgin Gorda to conduct the registration drives.
“They go wherever they are invited to go. I’m a little proactive with these kinds of things because you know, there was a very low voter turnout last time, so we’re trying to get voters excited about elections.”
Young voters and new Belongers targeted
Hon Wheatley said it is important to get younger voters to not just register but to vote, as sometimes they “don’t really see a direct connection between voting and their lives”.
From his interaction with some of them at Saturday’s drive, he was able to engage them in conversation, explaining the importance of voting.
“It is a democratic right they have that they need to exercise so that their voices and their concerns can be heard and to get excited about the whole process of voting a government. Again, they only see this in connection with elections, and I tell them, no, you should be aware of the issues all the time.”
Hon Wheatley also said new Belongers should come out to register to vote in the Virgin Islands (VI) for the first time.
“They’re excited to vote…so we had persons who recently got Belonger status…you’re now a Belonger, you can vote, take advantage of this privilege you have.”
There were also people showing up to register who did not think it was important to register or vote.
“It’s a chance for me to bring people in and have a conversation with them, explain to them the importance of voting.”
No snap elections
When asked if the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), which Hon Wheatley is a part of, serving as Minister for Health and Social Development, is planning a surprise snap election, he reiterated that this is something he does regularly, whether an election is coming or not.
“It’s not any message about an impending election or anything. I’ve been consistent with this. People [should] not be weary or sceptical or afraid that we’re getting ready for a snap election or something. It has nothing to do with election, it is about people understanding their democratic right to register and to vote.”
Hon Wheatley again encouraged all eligible people in the VI to register to vote.
He also said other district representatives can invite the Elections Office to hold similar drives for their constituents, adding that the office “always work with us”.
“I am proactive, I don’t like to wait for the last minute rush…I’m trying to avoid those kinds of things,” he said.
The next registration drive in Virgin Gorda is scheduled for August 2025.
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7 Responses to “VG voter registration gets underway; 'No snap elections!'- Hon Vincent O. Wheatley”
Interesting that you are trying to “fix” the low voter turnout problem from the last election when the next election is two years away.
The ground work is being made for a surprise move. Everyone can sense it but I’m sure one of our investigative journalists will break the story when it’s time.