As of Friday, Consul Belinda M. Ante said they had already registered 64 absentee voters.
“We have no particular target but we are hoping to have a good turnout,” she told Variety, adding that the CNMI topped the absentee voting registration among U.S. posts in 2004.
From 2003 to 2004, 7,031 registered here.
The next Philippine election is scheduled for 2010 when voters will also elect a new president and vice president, and this is why Ante expects a good turnout.
More voters register when it’s a presidential election, she added.
Ante said their office continues to encourage Filipinos on island to register.
“We even remind those who are renewing their passports about the registration for absentee voting,” she added.
According to Ante, Filipino workers in the CNMI who are planning to leave the islands can request for a transfer of their registration at the Consulate General on the fifth floor of the Marianas Business Plaza in Susupe from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Those who wish to register should present a valid Philippine passport.
Consul General Wilfredo DL. Maximo said Filipinos in the CNMI have until Aug. 31 to register.
An estimated 7,000 Filipinos in the CNMI are expected to qualify as absentee voters for the May 14, 2010 Philippine elections.
Republic Act 9189, or the Absentee Voting Act of 2003 allows Filipinos abroad to vote for presidential, vice presidential and senatorial candidates as well as party-list groups for the House of Representatives.
The names of those who registered in 2003 and 2006 but did not vote in the 2004 or 2007 elections will be deleted from the certified absentee voters list, Maximo said.
