Edith Deleon Guerrero
SENATE President Edith E. Deleon Guerrero on Monday introduced Senate Bill 23-59, which would authorize a straw poll in the CNMI for U.S. presidential elections, similar to Guam.
According to S.B. 23-59, CNMI residents, although U.S. citizens, are not allowed to vote for U.S. president and vice president, and have no say as to who governs their country.
Deleon Guerrero said CNMI Democrats and Republicans can participate in their respective party’s presidential primary or caucuses, but the U.S. Electoral College system does not provide for electors from the U.S. territories, which also include Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
Deleon Guerrero said she believes that all American citizens, including those in the CNMI and the other territories, should be allowed to participate in U.S. presidential elections.
She noted that Guam conducts presidential straw polls, a non-binding four-year exercise that serves as an early indicator for how the rest of the U.S. will vote.
She said her proposed CNMI straw poll will demonstrate to the U.S. Congress that U.S. citizens in the Commonwealth are determined to vote for U.S. president and vice president, whether officially or unofficially.
