By-Election Battle In Golden Isles Gets Underway In Less Than 24 Hours

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The last certified result from Golden Isles paints a clear picture of what happened in 2021.

The late Vaughn Miller won big, pulling in 2,471 votes and finishing more than 600 votes ahead of his closest challenger, Brian Brown.

However, that document also reveals something else -
turnout was just about 63%, which is low by Bahamian election standards, especially in a year when national sentiment was high.

Now with a by-election looming, some observers say that low turnout could become the deciding factor.

This time around, four new candidates are squaring off.

The PLP has political newcomer Darron Pickstock,
the FNM is bringing back Brian Brown, the same candidate who finished second in 2021 and still has a strong base.

Meanwhile, Coalition of Independents is running Brian Rolle, and Kim Butler is on the ballot as an independent.

Without Vaughn Miller, a well-liked, high-visible incumbent, some political analysts say the PLP can’t assume the same 2021 numbers will automatically transfer to a new candidate.

Observers also point out that the 2021 landslide was fuelled by national issues, pandemic fatigue, economic pain, and the handling of post-Dorian recovery.


However, they say Monday’s race may not be driven by that same level of emotion.

Even though Golden Isles looked like a safe PLP seat in 2021, the race is now considered wide open.

Monday will reveal which campaign, or which candidate, can actually motivate their supporters.