Inos proclaims Nov. 4 special election, petition filing until Sept. 18

Gov. Eloy S. Inos proclaimed on Friday morning a Nov. 4 special election to fill a vacancy at the Senate representing Saipan, with the date coinciding with the general elections to help save the government nearly $100,000.

At the same time, the governor signed into law a bill that essentially prohibits those who were already certified to run for the two Saipan senatorial seats in the general elections from also running in the special poll to fill a Senate seat vacated by now independent lieutenant governor bet Ray Yumul.

“So there you have it. It’s open,” the governor said, referring to the immediate opening of the petition-filing period.

Besides the general election and the special election, the CNMI is also headed for a record-breaking third election in November—that of a gubernatorial runoff race when none of the four gubernatorial candidates get at least 50 percent plus one of the actual votes cast in the general polls.

Inos, in his one-page Sept. 5 proclamation, said all nomination petitions for the special election shall be filed with the Commonwealth Election Commission on or before Sept. 18.

The commission has until Sept. 22 to act on the petitions filed.

Robert A. Guerrero, executive director of the Commonwealth Election Commission, said holding the special elections on the same date as the general elections would save the government close to $100,000. This was also the election board’s recommendation.

In responding to the governor’s question, Guerrero said a separate ballot would be prepared for the special election.

Guerrero said the board would hold a special meeting to address the special election and other set deadlines as a result of the proclamation for a special election.

The executive director said there are now some 17,500 registered voters in the CNMI, the first time that the numbers breached the 17,000-mark.

The numbers include less than 100 voters who registered during the recent 10th Annual CNMI Labor Day Softball Tournament in Portland, Oregon.

‘Can’t run for multiple seats’

The governor signed also on Friday morning a bill that prohibits a person from running for more than one public office in a general, local or special election.

Senate Bill 18-66, authored by Sens. Pete Reyes (Ind-Saipan) and Jovita Taimanao (Ind-Rota), is now Public Law 18-63.

“We find this bill to be an appropriate public policy and I therefore approve it into law,” the governor said right before signing the measure.

The NMI Constitution’s Article II Section 9 requires a special election when there is a vacancy in the Legislature and if one-half or more of the term remains.

Former Senate floor leader Ray Yumul was serving less than half of his term when his candidacy for lieutenant governor was certified on Aug. 13, leaving a vacancy at the Senate. The governor held off on proclaiming a special election until Sept. 5 so that a special election can be held up to 60 days later, to coincide with the general elections.

The governor, in his proclamation, also ordered the Election Commission to designate and publicize the polling places for the special election no later than 15 days prior to the special election.

The Election Commission is also ordered to establish all other deadlines associated with the special election, as well as to ensure the publication of the governor’s special election proclamation in a newspaper of general circulation in the CNMI and its posting on Saipan.

Only a few names of potential candidates for the special Saipan senatorial seat have so far been floating around, including that of John Oliver “Bolis” Gonzales.