“Almighty Father, we are gathered here today as one body at this sacred spot where countless numbers of our enslaved ancestors were buried. Father, we are gathered as one body to do your will and listen to the concerns of our brothers and sisters. Please guide us as we walk the hills and valleys today; let us comfort the lonely and assure those unsure. This we ask in your holy name. Amen.”

Such was the prayer that commenced our canvassing efforts for the upcoming by-election in Constituency 26 brought on by the resignation of former Progressive Labour Party leader Marc Bean.

Constituency 26 runs from Middle Road South until South Road, with PHC Field as its western boundary and Warwick Pond as its eastern boundary.

With more than 1,110 registered voters living in areas such as Rocklands Estate, Jones’ Village, Pearman’s Hill and OliveBank, we have set out on our mission to speak to every household between now and December 20.

As with canvassing in all other areas in Bermuda, we have met a very diverse set of Bermudians, including those who have far Left leaning views and those who are staunchly conservative. We have encountered first-time voters and one lady at the age of 100 who has voted in every election since all blacks were allowed to vote via universal adult suffrage in 1968.

At one particular house this past Saturday, I knocked on the door. Upon opening the door, a lady emerged with a beaming smile and asked us: “Why are you wasting your time here? Do you not see the PLP sticker on my door?”

To which PLP leader David Burt replied: “Ma’am, that is even more reason for us to knock on your door, as we will never take anyone’s vote for granted.”

She then turned to me and said: “I don’t even have to ask your name because I can look at your face and see that you are my family.”

As it turns out, this lady was my cousin, Anita Eastmond (née Lugo), whose grandfather was Willie Famous.

After a brief exchange of hugs and kisses, and words of encouragement, we moved on to knock on other doors.

The next day, we were contacted by a young lady who wanted us to come to register her husband to vote in the upcoming by-election. As it turned out, he had previously lived in Dockyard and had recently moved to Warwick.

We had an opportunity to listen to him speak of the need for Bermudians to move from seeking employment into seeking self-empowerment, as he did not want his young son to endure the plight of what is negatively affecting so many young men.

It is these sorts of one-on-one exchanges that remind us of why we go out in all weather to knock on doors throughout Bermuda.

Over the past weekend, many persons stopped by the “Rubber Tree” to register to vote for the upcoming by-election in Constituency 26. At the same time, hundreds of Bermudians have opened their homes to our canvassing teams to express their concerns.

We will be extending our voter registration drive and canvassing efforts for the next few weekends to ensure that as many Bermudians as possible get to express their concerns and are registered to vote in the upcoming General Election.

As such, persons from across the island may stop by the Rubber Tree from 11am until 4pm tomorrow to check to see if their registration is up to date and to speak to our representatives about their concerns.