Rep. Tina Sablan, Ind.-Saipan, said the petition was signed by over 3,000 people, or more than the required number.
Sablan submitted the additional signatures to the Attorney General’s Office on Monday, which was the deadline.
The AGO has to certify that all the signatures belong to at least 20 percent of registered CNMI voters before the initiative can be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Deputy Attorney General Gregory Baka earlier told Sablan that only 1,898 of the 2,410 who signed the petition were registered voters.
He gave her until Monday to submit at least 512 more signatures.
The Commonwealth Election Commission will now verify the additional signatures that Sablan submitted.
“As you are aware, the deadline for the attorney general to certify that the petition bears a sufficient number of signatures is at least 90 days before a ‘regular general election.’ NMI Constitution Article IX § 1(c),” Baka said in a letter to acting Election Commission Executive Director Julita A. Villagomez.
“As the election is Tuesday, 4 Nov. 2008, [the signatures] therefore must be certified by Wednesday, 6 Aug. 2008, if the initiative is to appear in this year’s general election, assuming the Legislature and governor make this year’s federal general election a ‘regular general election’ (or as provided by law),” he added.
Based on Baka’s legal opinion, the Nov. 4 congressional election is a federal election and not a “regular general election.”
He suggested that the Legislature amend the definition of “regular general election” so that Sablan’s initiative can be on this year’s ballot.
But Sablan said Baka’s interpretation may be wrong.
A House legal counsel told her that this year’s election can be considered a regular general election.
“Not all legal opinions say that this election is not a general election,” Sablan said. “This election is a regular election by the very definition of both words…. We don’t need legislation to define the general election,” she told Variety.
However, should Baka’s opinion prevail, Sablan said “the next approach is to appeal to the Election Commission and consider other legal opinions.”
The lawmaker said she is very grateful to the more than 50 volunteers who helped her gather the signatures.
