COMMONWEALTH Election Commission Executive Director Kayla Igitol said of the 224 absentee voters from Rota whose eligibility was questioned by Vincent C. Hocog, only one stated that she does not intend to return to the CNMI.
Hocog, a voter of Rota, provided CEC the names of the absentee voters who he said were not eligible to vote in the Nov. 25 runoff election.
But according to Igitol, Hocog’s “letter has not provided a factual basis for challenging the eligibility of the named individuals.”
Igitol said CEC has emailed the individuals to inform them of Hocog’s voter challenge.
She said only one of the 224 voters interviewed by the CEC staff has indicated that she has no intention of returning to the CNMI — Tasha Marie Santos Castro.
Igitol said she has determined that Castro no longer considers the Commonwealth as her place of domicile and residency. As such, her name will be removed from the voter registry for Rota. If she cast a ballot in the runoff election, it would not be counted, Igitol added.
As to the other voters who have been interviewed, Igitol said she has determined that they continue to be eligible to vote on Rota because they have expressed their intention to return to the island.
All of them, she said, own real property on Rota and are living outside of the CNMI for medical treatment reasons, are enrolled in an educational institution, or are dependents of U.S. military service members. If they cast an absentee ballot in the runoff election, Igitol said their ballots would be counted.
As for those who have not been interviewed, they will remain on the voter roll for Rota as the information in their respective files do not indicate that they are ineligible to vote in the runoff election, Igitol said.
She also told Hocog, “Your letter has not made any specific factual statements giving rise to a dispute over the voters’ eligibility to vote in the Commonwealth. Without additional information, I decline to issue a ruling on their eligibility.”
Kayla Igitol
