NMI mock polls expanded

In true election fashion, absentee voters will not be disenfranchised when the Northern Mariana Islands chooses between George Bush and John Kerry in the Oct. 30 mock polls.

Members of the two Northern Marianas College classes who are organizing the mock election announced yesterday that qualified CNMI voters in the military and elsewhere outside the Commonwealth may cast their votes too.

“It has been in the works for some time. We’ve finally figured out how to do it,” said Zachary Berger, one of the NMC political science students who are preparing the unofficial election.

In her presentation at the Saipan Rotary Club meeting at Hyatt Regency Saipan yesterday, NMC student Leslie Cabrera called on people to notify their friends and relatives who are eligible to vote in the CNMI and who are off-island to register for the mock polls.

She noted that they are relying on “word of mouth” to get the message to absentee voters.

Cabrera said interested voters may request an absentee ballot by sending an email to cnmipresregister@hotmail.com, along with information such as their full name, date of birth, and the island where they are registered.

Upon verification of their eligibility, an email will be returned to the voter with the ballot as an attachment. The ballot should be marked according to instructions and returned as an attachment to cnmipresvote@hotmail.com, she added.

Then, a select team with restricted access via password will examine the cover email to verify the eligibility of the sender before separately downloading the marked ballot, which will then be put into a ballot box without any identifying email. The box will be maintained separately and counted at the same time as the votes cast on Saipan, according to Cabrera.

The NMC students are organizing the mock polls as part of their political science course under college instructor Samuel McPhetres.

“Our core objective is to provide an opportunity for the people of the CNMI to voice their opinions about whom they think should be the president of the United States,” Cabrera said. “One of the reasons we feel it important to reach our objective is the fact that the CNMI puts out a disproportionate number of voluntarily enlisted military men and women. We have one of the highest per capita rates of voluntary enlistment compared to all other territories and states. The outcome of who is elected to be commander in chief is certainly a concern for all of our enlisted.”

Anyone who is eligible to vote for the CNMI governor can vote in the mock election, Cabrera said. However, since the Commonwealth election law requires voters to be registered at least 45 days before the election, only those who have been registered to vote on or before Sept. 12 may participate in the mock polls.

The organizers have also put in place a mechanism to accommodate other interested U.S. citizens who are non-registered voters.

Cabrera said a separate box will be set up outside of the official balloting area and a separate ballot will be available to them. “These ballots will not be counted as part of the official total [results] but will be used for informational purposes,” she said.

The mock election will be held in the Joeten Kiyu Public Library conference room on Oct. 30, from 8am to 7pm.

Voters should bring their voter ID card or a photo ID card, which will be checked against the official registration lists. Tabulation will take place immediately after the voting is closed.

“We are hoping for a good turnout, and are expecting some media coverage of the event. All the election and registration staff, poll watchers, and tabulators will be NMC political science students,” Cabrera said.