ST. CROIX — The Virgin Islands Board of Elections voted today to continue using a single ballot that combines both federal and local contests for the upcoming election, despite objections from several members who argued that separate ballots are required under law.
The decision followed an executive session in which board members were briefed by the Office of the Attorney General on pending election-related court cases and met with representatives of Election Systems & Software, the board’s voting equipment contractor.
Board Chairman Raymond Williams reported that the contractor confirmed it is capable of producing separate paper ballots for federal and local races and could meet the June 17 deadline for mailing ballots to voters covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
“There were no actions taken in executive session,” Williams said before the board returned to regular session.
Following the report, member Kareem Francis moved that the board proceed with a single combined ballot for the upcoming election while continuing discussions on how to ensure future compliance with legal requirements.
“We can ensure future elections follow the law to the letter,” he said.
Board member Cleopatra Peter opposed the motion, arguing that election officials had already confirmed the system can support separate ballots and that the board had sufficient time to implement the change.
“We’ve had two years to figure it out,” she said.
Barbara LaRonde also opposed the motion.
“It was already identified that it can be done,” she said, noting that voter education could be conducted at polling sites if needed.
After discussion, the motion passed by a 6-3 vote, allowing the board to proceed with a single ballot for the upcoming election.
The board later approved its fiscal year 2026 budget following discussion of election funding allocations. Members questioned how much funding was designated for the primary election.
Supervisor of Elections Caroline Fawkes said $275,000 would be allocated for the primary, with $400,000 reserved for the general election.
The budget motion passed 6-0, with three abstentions.
The board approved the supervisor’s report with technical amendments, including corrections to numerical calculations and wording adjustments. That motion passed 6-3.
The meeting included discussion of concerns raised by disqualified candidates and board members regarding notification procedures.
Peter argued that Virgin Islands law requires candidates to be notified by “special messenger” when nomination papers are found defective and questioned whether that standard had been properly followed in recent disqualifications.
Fawkes responded that candidates are typically notified through multiple channels, including phone and email, and said she does not issue public announcements regarding disqualifications.
The meeting also included a discussion about Ida Smith’s candidacy for delegate to Congress.
Smith filed a formal complaint with the board today, accusing Fawkes of unlawfully requiring documentation to prove her residence as a candidate for delegate to Congress. A motion moved by Harriet Mercer to have Fawkes remove her request of Smith failed by a 3-5 vote. In addition to Mercer, the motion was supported by Peter and LaRonde. It was opposed by Francis, Williams, Cornelius JnBaptiste, Lilliana Belardo de O’Neal, and Atanya Springette.
READ MORE: Ida Smith files complaint with Elections Board over request from Fawkes to prove St. John residency
Before adjournment, the board agreed to continue the meeting later to address appeals and correspondence from disqualified candidates, including congressional aspirant James A. Weber III, who requested a hearing to challenge his disqualification.
The meeting concluded with an unsuccessful motion to remove Fawkes from office over what the sponsor, LaRonde, described as “numerous violations of law.” Williams ruled the motion out of order, and a subsequent challenge to his ruling failed by a 5-4 vote, preventing the proposal from moving forward. In addition to Williams, the board members who voted in support of his ruling were JnBaptiste, Belardo de O’Neal, Springette, and Franz Christian Jr. Those who opposed it were Francis, LaRonde, Mercer, and Peter.
The board then adjourned.
