ATTORNEY General Edward E. Manibusan was among the hundreds of voters who lined up and cast their ballots on Tuesday at Dandan Middle School.
Manibusan is seeking a third term as AG, a nonpartisan position. His opponent is retired Judge Juan T. Lizama.
“I think it’s a great day for democracy,” the AG said. “I am glad to see many people going out to vote.”
He added, “I want to thank the people of the Commonwealth for showing up and casting their votes, no matter who they voted for. The election process shows democracy at work. It’s fun to be around people trying to exercise their right to vote. It’s not like it’s a hassle.”
Asked about a possible gubernatorial runoff, Manibusan said, “I support that provision in the CNMI Constitution, but I would rather have a plurality vote, and just get it over with, but we have a law that says we got to have 50% + 1.”
He added, “Personally, to save time, money and resources, I think we just do it one time, and we are done. But I’m sure a lot of voters wanted a runoff, that’s why they voted for [that provision].”
A former presiding judge, Manibusan defeated attorney Michael Evangelista in 2014 to become the CNMI’s firs elected AG. He ran unopposed in 2018.
In the Dandan Middle School cafeteria on Election Day, there were a total of 12 poll watchers and eight voting booths.
An Office of the Public Auditor representative assigned to the polling place told Variety there was no notable or unusual activity as of 11 a.m.
“Everything was smooth and fluid, no issues encountered,” the OPA representative said.
A poll watcher told Variety that they could accommodate eight voters at a time.
The turnout was high. Some voters said they spent about 45 minutes in line before they could actually cast their ballots.
Attorney General Edward Manibusan, right, lines up to cast his vote on Tuesday at Dandan Middle School.
