A call has been made for the government and stakeholders in the electoral process to address voter participation concerns.

The Organization of American States (OAS) took note of the low voter turnout in Wednesday’s General and Local Government By elections.

The observer mission deployed teams to monitor the activities on Wednesday and yesterday published a lengthy report containing its assessment and recommendations.

The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) reported that the overall preliminary voter turnout was approximately 39.5%, for the General Election.

While for the By elections in 3 divisions from the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, the overall preliminary voter turnout was approximately 36.1%.

In its report the OAS noted with concern, the overall disengagement of citizens in the political-electoral process, as evidenced by the 39.5% rate of voter participation in the elections.

It said this result clearly fell below the expectations of stakeholders with whom the mission met.

It also said this is a situation that must be addressed and remedied.

In a video message on social media yesterday, Chief of the Electoral Observation mission, Kenny D. Anthony noted concerns about the trust and confidence of citizens not translating into higher voter participation.

He also noted aspects of Jamaica’s election process that need improvement, such as facilitating disabled persons and the elderly.