The vouchers are not for “buying” votes, he added.
The vouchers were issued to volunteers and members of a committee to help transport voters who don’t have means of transportation to the voting precincts.
“The gas vouchers were issued to the drivers of the vehicles and not issued to the voters directly,” Demapan said.
This, he added, has been a common practice in the past years to help voters who have no vehicles.
“If the government tells the voters whom to vote for, that would be voter intimidation and that is a violation of the law,” Demapan said.
The gas vouchers will help people exercise their fundamental right to vote, he added.
Demapan at the same time said the administration is not involved in a taxi group’s plan to transport voters from their houses to the voting precincts.
“We don’t know who is paying the taxi drivers but if there are other groups out there who are providing means of transportation to the voters for free, it’s a good thing because we believe every registered voter should go out and exercise their right,” he said.
Demapan urges every voter to participate in the today’s election.
“The commonwealth is experiencing challenging times, and participating actively in electing a leader gives us a stake in charting the course of the CNMI,” Demapan said.
