CROWDS lined up outside of designated early voting polling places early Tuesday morning throughout the CNMI.
“It’s really going [well]. We [have] a lot of voters coming out, but I just want to remind voters that we [have] seven days. This is just the first day,” said Commonwealth Election Commission Executive Director Kayla S. Igitol in an interview with reporters.
As to voter turnout, Igitol said that compared to previous elections, the numbers this year are about the same.
“It’s pretty much the same. I expected this,” she said.
As of Tuesday evening, CEC reported that 763 voters (not 759 as earlier reported) had cast their ballots: 645 (not 641) from Saipan and the Northern Islands; 55 from Tinian; and 63 from Rota.
According to the CEC website, as of September 14, 2022, there were 19,275 registered voters in the CNMI.
Of this number, 15,559 were from Saipan, 184 from the Northern Islands, 1,680 from Tinian, and 1,852 from Rota.
Based on these numbers, 4.1% of Saipan’s registered voters cast their ballots on Tuesday; in the Northern Islands, less than 1%; on Tinian, 3.2%; and on Rota, 3.4%.
Safe voting
CEC Executive Director Igitol said she and 15 of her staff members, along with 15 members of the CNMI Covid-19 Care Task Force, were ensuring that voters were safe.
“These guys are helping us sanitize, direct traffic, and with crowd control,” she said, referring to her staffers and task force members.
Duty
Among the voters on Saipan early Tuesday morning was 27-year-old Michael Kukkun.
“I feel like it is our duty as the younger generation to vote and put the people we want into office — to do our part as citizens and make change. I know our parents and grandparents get older, and the older way of thinking is starting to pass. We want a new way of thinking in office.”
He added, “I’m not very into politics. I really only just vote for who I think is good enough. I’m really not sure what I’m looking for yet.”
Asked if the candidates could have done a better job of informing young voters about their platforms, Kukkun said, “Yes, but also, that’s partly my fault for not keeping up because I’m more focused on work.”
Maricon Bricia Allen, 37, is a mother who is voting for the second time in a CNMI election.
“I was not originally a U.S. citizen [but] I feel [that] voting gives me a voice on how I can help the community. Voting for the right representatives can give us the future that the CNMI really needs…. For one to be able to [vote] is really a blessing…especially if they are trying to make changes for our future here,” she said.
Asked what she is looking for in a candidate, she said, “I am actually looking for something fresh, like new ideas, because as we can see, I mean, even in the news, it’s devastating. Our…leaders have done whatever they can in order for us to survive the pandemic and even the past storms that we have had. They have done whatever they can, and kudos to them for overcoming all of those [issues] that we have had in the CNMI. But there are still some problems that have not been addressed, and they are ongoing problems, so we are hoping that the new leaders that we are going to put in place are going to make those changes for us.”
She added, “I’m looking for solutions for the people who have lost their jobs, if there is any other compensation from them aside from the [Pandemic Unemployment Assistance], and if there are any improvements on the disbursement of PUA, because I know for a fact that there are still a lot of people who are still expecting and waiting to get their funds, but have not received a single cent. I hope that there are improvements on that.”
Another young mother and second-time voter is 29-year-old Angelica Lastimado, who said she voted for the future of her five-year-old child, her family, and the people living on CNMI.
“Because I am Filipino, I believe that the future of the CWs that are…in the CNMI will be good when the person I voted for wins this election. We saw that these past few years, there are a lot of good things that happened here in the CNMI, and I think it is just right for me to continue that person’s goals and ideas for our CNMI,” she said.
“The candidate that I voted for is truly a person that I believe will give us a good future here in the CNMI. I voted for proven leadership.”
Maria Agulto, 63, took advantage of her day off from work to exercise her right to vote on Tuesday.
She said that she is looking for candidates who are trustworthy, hardworking, and are for the people.
“I have pretty much made up my mind,” she said.
Asked what issues are most important to her, Agulto said, “A lot. With the CWs, a lot of my friends at work are CWs, but I know that [U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan] did a good job on that…. There are so many things that involve the CNMI, there are so many problems and issues, and I am hoping that whoever wins will be able to just help the people in general.”
Curbside banners encouraging people to vote are seen outside the Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe on Tuesday.
Commonwealth Election Commission Executive Director Kayla S. Igitol and a staffer assist a curbside voter outside the Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe on Tuesday.
