Family shocked by mom’s death on election day

Eighty-three-year-old Avis Ledgister and her children have "religiously" voted for the People's National Party (PNP).

On election day last Thursday, Ledgister, a resident of Arlington, near Black River in St Elizabeth, did not get to cast her vote for Ewan Stephenson, the PNP candidate who was up against incumbent Floyd Green of the Jamaica Labour Party.

"My mother was transported to the polling station in a vehicle operated by party workers on behalf of Mr Stephenson, and shortly after leaving the vehicle, she blacked out, fell, and hit her head," said son Fitzroy Cuff.

His mother was rushed to the Black River Hospital, where she died.

Ledgister was among the 31,216 qualified electors who were registered to vote in last Thursday's general election and was assigned to cast her ballot at polling division 47, located at Fullerswood Primary School in the constituency.

Experienced dizziness

Her sons confirmed that a fateful incident, in which she experienced dizziness and blacked out, perhaps forecast the election day omen.

"She had a similar experience several days leading up to the election, but she recovered from it and had been doing fine," Andre Smith, another of her sons, said.

"It comes as a shocker to us. She had just left home to vote for her party and then to hear that she died without voting, we felt really bad, especially at the end of the day when her candidate of choice did not win."

It is not the first time that an elderly person who had gone to vote has collapsed and died. In 2011, 70-year-old farmer of Mullet Hall in West Portland, went to the Avocot Primary and Junior High School where he voted. He collapsed as he exited the facility, and was taken to hospital where he died.