Senate OKs bill resetting NMI election schedule

The Senate has passed a constitutional amendment to synchronize the Commonwealth’s regular elections with federal elections.

The Senate legislative initiative calls for local elections to be held in even-numbered years, instead of odd-numbered years. It is now bound to the House of Representatives, where it must obtain a three-fourths majority vote. If approved by the House, the proposed constitutional change will be put on the ballot in 2009, at the earliest, for ratification.

Under the Senate proposal, the CNMI’s regular general election will be held Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. If the initiative is ratified in 2009, the election will be held in 2012 and every two years after that.

Those officials elected in 2009 who serve two-year terms, such as House members, municipal council members, and Board of Education members, will serve three years. The governor and lieutenant governor, senators, and mayors elected in 2009 will serve five-year terms, instead of four-year terms.

Sponsored by Sen. Jude Hofschneider, the proposal follows the enactment of a federal law granting the Northern Marianas a non-voting delegate to the U.S. Congress. Current law says the CNMI government has to conduct a separate election for the delegate office in even-numbered years, in addition to holding regular general election in odd-numbered years, as provided in the Commonwealth Constitution.

The initiative states that the government, by not holding an election every year, could save money and use it for other programs and services.

Another version of the proposal is pending in the House of Representatives. The House version, authored by Rep. Diego Benavente, would postpone the 2011 CNMI election for 2012 to coincide with the national election, and then hold it every two years afterwards.

The House initiative seeks shorter terms for some officials to be elected next year, and longer terms for others. Under the initiative, the next governor and lieutenant 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.