The St. Thomas-St. John District Board of Elections failed to meet the legal deadline for certifying its primary election Sunday, putting it in violation of the V.I. Code. Unofficially, the certification has been put off until Monday, despite the potential consequences. Any person deemed responsible for the delay of the election returns is subject to a $500 maximum fine or a year of imprisonment, or both. Additionally, the “casting of lots” is not supposed to take place within a district unless the district has certified its election. Elections officials said that the casting of lots, which was scheduled for today at 5:30 p.m. in both districts, likely will be moved until late August, though they also said that the decision ultimately is up to V.I. Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes.
V.I. Attorney General Vincent Frazer said late Monday afternoon that he is aware of the situation, but he had not spoken formally with the board. “I’m having my staff look at the situation and see what needs to be done,” Frazer said. “I haven’t looked at the law yet.”
While the St. Croix District Board of Elections certified its election Sunday, the last legal day to certify, it is expected to put off its casting of lots to coincide with the St. Thomas-St. John District’s casting of lots.
Officials in both districts said that it makes sense for the districts to hold casting of lots simultaneously, though Fawkes could not be reached Monday to formally address the casting of lots schedule. If the casting of lots is delayed until late August, it will derail plans to get ballots printed this week.
Full Article: St. Thomas Elections Board violates V.I. Code, fails to certify results of primary on Sunday – News – Virgin Islands Daily News.