Pacific / Marshall Islands

Massive voter turnout in Marshall Islands elections

20:09 pm on 18 November 2019

Polling stations are closing in the Marshall Islands elections, with counting expected to start later tonight.

Large numbers of voters turned out for the polls in the capital, Majuro, with strong turnout also reported in several outer atolls.

Election official Lisa Lajkam verifies Uliga ward voters in the first minutes after the voting station at the Youth to Youth in Health community center opened Monday morning. Majuro 18 November 2019 Photo: Hilary Hosia/Marshall Islands Journal

Our correspondent in Marshall Islands Giff Johnson said in the capital voters have showed a lot of patience and persistence with some standing in line for several hours to cast their ballot.

"A lot of the voter locations have had [what] seems like very heavy turnout and it is interesting because this is particularly noted in a number of the outer island absentee ballot areas," said Giff Johnson.

"This is the people who live on Majuro but they vote for an outer islands here. There are twenty four atolls that have population here altogther".

Counting will take place from tonight at the conference centre on Majuro, and is expected to take much of the week to complete.