By James E. Whittaker
Now that the 2025 election is over, one of the key national issues the new government must tackle prior to the 2029 election is to further enhance our democracy through electoral reform. On the campaign trail, all of the political parties suggested they were open to such reforms if it meant enhancing our democracy.
In my earlier guest column on electoral reform, I covered changing the structure of voting such that there are three tiers — district council voting, constituency voting and national voting — the net result of which codifies even more democratic power into the hands of Cayman’s voters and minimises the impact of ‘post-election horse-trading’ while also enhancing the quality and qualifications of the leadership we elect.
Today’s column builds on the ‘national vote’ recommendations with further proposals to enhance our democratic processes and governmental structures.
Runoffs
With a small voting population, made much smaller by single-member constituency voting, there is inherently a likelihood that a very small number of votes will have consequential national implications, and the will of the majority is not truly demonstrated through our current democratic process.
Our current system allows candidates to get a very small number of votes — five of the winning candidates in this year’s election received less than 400 votes — and potentially become the leader of a country of 80,000 people.
Rather than do away with single-member constituencies, I suggest that Cayman enact runoff criteria whereby candidates who do not get enough votes are eliminated from contention and the leading candidates who do go into a second electoral process thereafter (a runoff) between each other, which then provides a much more robust assurance that the majority will of the people is truly being carried out.
With national voting implemented as well, there is unlikely to emerge any leader(s) of the constituency or the nation that the majority of the people do not want in those positions. The specific recommendation is thus for the government to undertake a serious analysis of how best to implement runoffs so that the will of the majority is carried out before the next election in 2029.
Permanently realigned ministries
Ministries should be realigned for optimising efficiency within government. At the moment, we often align and realign ministries from election to election to fit the candidates’ desires and/or experience, which negates the efficiency in costs and human capital that is to be found by focusing on the departments and their outcomes, not the people elected to lead them.
With national voting, it will also force parties and independents to run candidates for ministries for which they have the requisite experience as assessed by the electorate and not be gifted ministries for which they have no relevant experience in running just because they have leverage and/or standing within a party in the post-election horse-trading sessions.
Optimising ministries in this manner will lead to higher probabilities of better outcomes and reduced costs to government — and thus taxpayers — which can help reduce the cost of living for all. The specific recommendation is for government to undertake a serious analysis of permanent realignment with a focus on optimising efficiency and outcomes.
Whatever the permanent realignment ultimately is determined to be, a panel should focus on where the optimal synergies between ministries and departments exist as well as gains in operational efficiencies to ensure better outcomes and value for money for the people of the Cayman Islands.
It should also thereafter be intentionally difficult to add new ministries, requiring super-majority votes in Parliament such that future politicians cannot disrupt these efficiencies unless they have presented a well-thought-out case for doing so with which most elected officials agree.
Overall, the realigned ministries, coupled with a national vote and runoff system, ensure Cayman gains more capable and qualified leaders (who have declared their leadership intentions before the election) that reflect the true will of the majority of voters, leading to more efficient and optimised ministries, all while increasing the probability of better outcomes for the country.
Editor’s note: James E. Whittaker is the founder of Caymanomics, an emerging think tank exploring issues affecting the economic, social and environmental prosperity of the Cayman Islands. He is not related to Cayman Compass journalist James Whittaker.