Previous Story
165 voters for Northern Islands, but none currently staying on NI
There are 165 registered voters for the Northern Islands, but the Commonwealth Election Commission may save thousands of dollars at this Nov. 8 general election because no one is currently staying on the islands, according to CEC acting executive director Julita A. Villagomez.
Villagomez in an interview yesterday said most of the 165 Northern Islands voters are residing on Saipan and their voting place is at Precinct 4 or Tanapag and San Roque villages.
Villagomez said the remaining few people on the Northern Islands were evacuated recently because of a typhoon.
CEC is hoping that no one will go back to the Northern Islands during election so CEC does not have to charter a boat just to get a few votes.
Villagomez disclosed that in the last 2014 gubernatorial election, CEC chartered a boat at a discounted price of $9,000 just to get six votes from Pagan and Alamagan.
Villagomez said CEC would usually send a charted boat to the Northern Islands three days before the election, if the weather permits.
Meanwhile, as of yesterday, there are a total of 17,898 registered voters in the CNMI. A total of 774 are new voters. Saipan has 14,307 voters; Tinian has 1,681, and Rota has 1,910, according to CEC records.
