Precinct 3 residents exercise their right to vote on Election Day

Precinct 3 voters wait in line at the Garapan Elementary School yesterday morning. (LEIGH GASES)

With 4,087 registered voters in all, Precinct 3 is certainly one of the biggest voting district in the CNMI and that was apparent yesterday, Nov. 8, 2022, with hundreds going to either the Garapan Elementary School polling site or the Oleai Elementary School polling site to cast their votes.

The GES polling site itself was surrounded by Republican, Democrat, and independent candidates’ tents, characterized by a raucous show from supporters who kept their distance from the small line of voters outside the entrance of the school cafeteria. The OES polling site had fewer people, with just two tents of both the Republican and independent supporters.

In the afternoon, the roads and area surrounding the north side of the Garapan Elementary School was filled with supporters of all ages and ethnicities—waving their party flags or placards, the place noisy and alive with music and car horns beeping, and the line much longer than it was in the morning.

When asked how the voting was going in the morning, GES poll supervisor Thelma Taitano said there hasn’t been any problems so far.

A voter who exited the polling site, Lourdes Mike, said she came out to exercise her right to vote. She said there were no issues with the voting process and that “they’re all very helpful. Those people inside, they will ask you if you need help or anything like that.”

In the afternoon, a first-time poll worker, John Teregeyo, said there are two lines at the GES poll site for crowd control. He said the flow in the morning was smooth, with the afternoon picking up and becoming busier as there were more people coming out to vote after lunch, but that “everything’s been good.” When asked what the police officers were doing inside the poll site, he said that every poll site is assigned officers. “It’s just to maintain order and in case someone comes in intoxicated…”

Another voter, Tehani Kirby, said, “It’s always important to give your vote because if you have something that you want to fix in the community or you need help, that’s why we vote them in—so they’re there to help us.”

Connie Cabrera Togawa of Capital Hill, who is a retiree, said she’s voting for Rep. Tina Sablan (D-Saipan), because “she is going to be a good governor here. I am sick and tired of this corruption here on Saipan, honestly. I am not planning to request for employment because I am retired. I have little resources and I don’t need to work…” She is confident that Sablan would win in a runoff election.

At the OES polling site, a voter who wished to remain anonymous said, “The younger generations need to come forward and cast their vote. We just want something that’s trustworthy…”

A Republican supporter who voted early for Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, said “This is what I believe in. …I believe we got this.” When asked about the possibility of a run-off, she said she will continue to vote for Torres but that she doesn’t think there will be a run-off as she believes Torres will win the first time around.

A first-time voter, 19-year-old Alyssa Alegre, said after casting her vote that the experience was “nerve-racking,” but that she came out to exercise her right to vote and said for young people to do the same because “it really does matter.” When asked if she was familiar with the candidates, she said that her school, Northern Marianas College, was helpful for hosting the Gubernatorial Townhall.

Eighteen-year-old Izabala Guerrero, who was seen outside the independent supporter tents, said she’s out there to support her mother, Marissa R. Flores who is running for Precinct 3. Guerrero hopes more of the younger generation will vote because “their vote matters—everyone’s vote matters.”

According to CEC’s website, as of Sept. 14, 2022, there were 15,559 registered voters on Saipan, 184 on the Northern Islands, 1,680 on Tinian, and 1,852 on Rota, for a total of 19,275 registered voters in the CNMI—the biggest number in CNMI history.