Assistant Attorney General Meaghan Hassel-Shearer said Nov. 23 will be a legal government holiday but not for private sector employees.
CEC Chairwoman Frances M. Sablan is urging private sector employers to allow their workers who are registered voters to participate in the election process.
“We want to encourage all registered voters to come out and vote, exercise their right to vote,” she added.
On Nov. 23, polling places will be opened from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during which the alcohol ban will take effect.
Hofschneider, the Republican candidate, got 4,900 votes or eight more than Fitial’s total.
Former Sen. Juan T. Guerrero finished third with 2,643 votes, while former Sen. Ramon S. Deleon Guerrero garnered 1,101.
Both ran as independent candidates.
Fitial’s Covenant Party held a meeting on Sunday to discuss how to solicit the support of the two losing candidates.
CNMI law mandates that the winning gubernatorial team should have 50 percent plus one of the votes cast to be declared the winner, otherwise a runoff must be held.
The commission said 13,784 ballots were cast on Nov. 7.
The runoff ballots will be printed this week on island and will be sent to absentee voters no later than Friday, according to CEC Executive Director Robert A. Guerrero.
Absentee ballots must be postmarked on the runoff date, Nov. 23, and should be received by the commission by Dec. 7.
Absentee ballots received during the runoff will be counted and the rest will be tabulated on Dec. 7, Hassel-Shearer said.
Registered voters who failed to cast their ballots on Nov. 7 are entitled to vote in the runoff, she added.
Sablan said the voter turnout this year is just 86 percent compared to previous elections’ over 90 percent.
