Previous Story
Charter change pushed to amend NMI election year
|
Posted on Dec 02 2008
Lawmakers are proposing to amend the Constitution to synchronize the Commonwealth’s regular election with the federal election.
Rep. Diego Benavente, chairman of the House Committee on Federal and Foreign Relations, has sponsored a legislative initiative that would postpone the 2011 CNMI election for 2012 to coincide with the national election, and then hold it every two years afterwards.
The initiative seeks shorter terms for some officials to be elected next year, and longer terms for others. Under the initiative, the next governor and lt. governor, as well as the senators and mayors elected in 2009, will serve three-year terms, instead of four-year terms. Meanwhile, the terms of the representatives, municipal council members, and Board of Education members would be extended from two years to three years.
The terms for the respective offices will revert back to their regular length after the 2012 election.
Benavente and the co-sponsors of the initiative cite cost as the primary reason the CNMI should make its elections consistent with the election of the nonvoting delegate.
The Northern Marianas held its first-ever federal election this year, following the May 8, 2008 enactment of a law granting the Commonwealth a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. Since the non-voting delegate serves a two-year term, an election has to be held every even-numbered year. Meanwhile, local elections are conducted every odd-numbered year.
“The Legislature…finds that it would be prudent and economical to change the Commonwealth’s elections so that it coincides with the federal general election,” states the initiative, which has been referred to the House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations.
The initiative must obtain a three-fourths majority vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Once approved by both houses, the proposed constitutional amendment can be placed on the ballot for ratification at the next general election.
