By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

MORE than a month after holding an election of new officers, the Association of Commonwealth Teachers has yet to count the ballots due to lack of tabulators, according to Angela Wheat, ACT’s election committee chairwoman.
“As much as I want to finish the process for this election I cannot because I need to have more people to help me in the tabulation and counting of ballots,” she told Variety yesterday. “I was tasked to form a committee of five people to be able to start the counting, but until now I don’t have enough members.”
She said only two teachers have volunteered to help.
“Hopefully I can get three…but I need to find two more, ideally from Saipan Southern High to represent the middle schools,” she said.
Of the CNMI’s 20 public schools, only 10 on Saipan and one from Tinian have turned in their ballots.
“I know every school was given ballots…but there’s a number who have yet to submit their ballots and we can not wait for them,” Wheat said, adding that on Tinian only one of the two ballot boxes was turned over to the committee while none was received from Rota, which has three ballot boxes.
Wheat said the “lack of interest” demonstrated by some ACT members has also contributed to the delay in the process.
Variety learned that a week after the current spring break, ACT president James Yangetmai called for a meeting at which a majority of those attending were candidates in the election.
“That’s the reason why the supposed counting did not go ahead because majority of those who were present were candidates themselves who are not allowed to participate in the process,” Wheat said.
Candidates included Sam Joyner of Kagman Elementary, Betty Miller of San Vicente Elementary and Pastor Gagaring of Hopwood Junior High School for president; Gagaring and Lauralynn Sweet of Kagman Elementary School for vice president; Carman Ada of Hopwood Junior High and Roger Church of Kagman Elementary for secretary; and Marianas High School’s Thomas Ermang and San Vicente Elementary’s Ellen Rayphand for treasurer.
Wheat said as soon as she gets the needed volunteers, “we will expedite the counting to be able to come up with the new set of officers.”
She said in these challenging times for teachers, “we must have a unified voice.”
“My problem from the beginning has been the lack of cooperation…that’s why if they decide to re-do the election, I don’t want to be part of it anymore.”