EARLY voting for the Northern Islands begins today, Friday, Sept. 23; for Saipan, Tinian and Rota it begins on Tuesday, Nov. 1
The last day of early voting will be on Monday, Nov. 7, while the general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 8.
On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Commonwealth Election Commission reported that the CNMI has 19,272 registered voters, excluding absentee voters.
As of Sept. 12, the breakdown of registered voters, excluding absentee voters, in each precinct is as follows:
1A (San Antonio) – 959
1B (San Vicente, Dandan) – 2,829
1C (Koblerville) – 1,365
2 (Chalan Kanoa, Susupe) – 1,590
3A (San Jose) – 1,029
3B (Garapan) – 3,058
4A (Tanapag) – 707
4B (San Roque) – 635
4C (Capital Hill) – 410
4D (Northern Islands) – 184
5 (Kagman) – 2,975
6 (Tinian) – 1,680
7 (Rota) – 1,851
There are 5,153 registered voters in Precinct 1; 1,590 in Precinct 2; 4,087 in Precinct 3; 1,936 in Precinct 4; 2,975 in Precinct 5; 1,680 in Precinct 6; and 1,851 in Precinct 7.
Per senatorial district, there are 1,851 registered voters in the first senatorial district (Rota); 1,680 in the second (Tinian); and 15,741 in the third (Saipan and the Northern Islands).
This week, 21,680 ballots arrived in the CNMI from CEC’s vendor in Omaha, Nebraska, CEC Executive Director Kayla S. Igitol said in an interview with Variety on Thursday.
At the time of the interview, CEC staff were sealing envelopes with ballots to be mailed this week, after each ballot was inspected by the Office of the Public Auditor.
CEC placed the order for ballots when voter registration was still open. Igitol said they ordered 15% more than the number of registered voters at the time, to account for an anticipated increase in the number of registered voters and spoiled ballots.
“You don’t ever want to order the exact number because sometimes a voter may make a mistake, so you will consider that as a spoiled ballot, and then you issue a new one,” Igitol said.
All unused ballots are defaced and stored in containers at the Commonwealth Election Commission when the polls close on Election Day, she added.
“They’re crossed out in red pen and then transported back to the headquarters,” said Igitol, referring to the multi-purpose center in Susupe.
In late August, CEC certified 99 candidates whose names are on the ballot for the Nov. 8 general election.
To view ballot specimens, visit https://votecnmi.gov.mp/downloads/2022/2022_GE_SPECIMEN_BALLOTS.pdf
Absentee voting
The deadline for the submission of absentee voting applications is Oct. 14.
During a previous CEC meeting, Igitol reported to the commissioners that the number of absentee voters had been increasing.
Of the 842 absentee voters listed on the CEC website as of Thursday, only 792 had been “processed.”
Igitol said the breakdown by precinct was as follows:
1A (San Antonio) – 30
1B (San Vicente, Dandan) – 65
1C (Koblerville) – 23
2 (Chalan Kanoa, Susupe) – 33
3A (San Jose) – 23
3B (Garapan) – 108
4A (Tanapag) – 25
4B (San Roque) – 18
4C (Capital Hill) – 18
4D (Northern Islands) – 2
5 (Kagman) – 90
6 (Tinian) – 138
7 (Rota) – 219
Beginning this year, absentee voters can register online through a user-friendly portal.
Igitol said absentee voters “don’t have to actually download the form. It’s a fillable form on our website. This is the first year that we’re going to do that. From what I’ve heard, it’s user-friendly. Information is printed [on] the actual form. The voter can look at it before pressing the send button, just to make sure that all the information they provided is correct. Then it’s sent to us. It’s neater and more convenient.”
Absentee voters must attach a photo ID to their application in order to verify their identity.
Although the registration process has gone digital, registered absentee voters will still have to mail their ballots on or before Election Day.
Polling places
CEC will designate and distribute a list of polling places by Monday, Oct. 24.
Igitol said polling places are selected based on size, parking structure, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design.
For early voting, CEC staff will oversee the polls. However, on Election Day, it will be run by poll workers who are employed and paid by CEC.
“Those poll workers are employed by us, but the names are provided by the parties. They will get paid… through us, but the parties will be the ones to provide the list of the names of the poll workers,” Igitol said.
There are only two recognized parties in the Commonwealth, the NMI Democratic Party and the NMI Republican Party, Igitol said, adding that two poll workers from each of these parties will act as co-supervisors of the polls.
Igitol believes that CEC has adequate staff, resources and funding to oversee the general election.
“I would be requesting some assistance if needed, but right now it’s pretty much smooth financially,” she said.
On Thursday, Office of the Public Auditor staff inspected each ballot before they are placed into envelopes sealed and packaged by Commonwealth Election Commission staff.
