Vote-selling debate heats up

With Nomination Day behind them and election day set for September 3, Jamaicans remain divided on whether selling their votes is a betrayal of democracy, or simply survival in hard times.

Persons who spoke to THE WEEKEND STAR expressed a mix of frustration, resignation, and pragmatism about the long-standing practice. From a politician's perspective, vote-buying often comes in the form of cash, food, liquor, appliances, or promises of jobs or contracts. While illegal under the Representation of the People Act, enforcement is rare, hampered by fear, difficulty gathering evidence, and entrenched political tribalism. Historically, the practice persists in marginal constituencies, where tight races make each vote highly contested.

Some persons who spoke to the news team in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, rejected the practice of vote-selling outright.

"I think that's wrong. People should have their rightful vote without being persuaded in that sense," said Lorenzo. "A vote is meant to reflect your choice, not someone else's pocket."

Leon James framed the issue as a broader betrayal of civic duty.

"Selling yuh vote, yah sell out yuhself, yuh country, yuh rights," he said. "A man come and give yuh $5,000 or $10,000 fi yuh vote. But every vote counts. Without a vote, yuh don't have a say. People need to understand their power."

For others, economic pressures make selling a vote a pragmatic choice. Rod Star, a taxi operator wearing People's National Party (PNP) merchandise, acknowledged the desperation that drives such decisions.

"It's wrong, but people dem desperate fi money. Dem could sell vote all dem want, a PNP a take it, power up! Money affi make eno," he said, shrugging.

However, Delano Graham suggested that personal need can outweigh principle.

"Mi think them right fi a sell the vote. If it was me, I would a sell it too because me need the money," he opined. "It's not everything we must do for money, but voting? Is just a vote, take it. Them nuh find me yet," he added with a laugh, acknowledging the risks involved.

Even vendors felt the pressure of being left out of these transactions. One fruit vendor questioned how the practice touches all corners of the local economy.

"How mi nuh get none? Which part them a give it weh, 'cause me want mine," the vendor said.

Entities including the Electoral Commission of Jamaica and National Integrity Action continue to urge voters to resist inducements, running campaigns with slogans such as 'Your vote is not for sale'. Yet for many, the lure of cash today outweighs the promise of governance tomorrow, reflecting the tension between economic survival and civic responsibility.

Historically, vote-selling has been linked to political tribalism, with both major parties, the PNP and Jamaica Labour Party accused of using it to secure marginal constituencies. In some inner-city communities, political networks overlap with informal power structures, making inducements a normalised expectation. Some authorities warn that such practices perpetuate inequality, undermine accountability, and marginalise leaders who refuse to participate in vote-buying.