Babauta, Lang to face off

Gov. Juan N. Babauta and former Gov. Froilan Tenorio will face off in a debate to defend the camps of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry before the holding of a mock presidential election in the CNMI late this month.

The debate, which is being organized by the Northern Marianas College’s Political Science class, will be held at the campus’ Room D-1 on Oct. 23, from 5pm to 7pm.

Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente will join Babauta to represent the Republican Party and the tandem of Bush and vice president Richard Cheney, according to NMC student and debate chair Maile San Nicolas.

She said Tenorio would be joined by CNMI Sen. Luis Crisostimo to present the platform of Kerry and his running mate, U.S. Sen. John Edwards of the Democratic Party.

San Nicolas said the debate would focus on national issues, not local ones. However, it may cover national issues that have local significance.

She said categories of discussion would include military, economic, and federal funding issues. The event will have a portion that will allow members of the audience to ask questions.

“This event is not only being held to show how national issues affect the CNMI, but to also encourage all registered voters to vote during our [simulated] presidential election on Oct. 30, 2004, at the Community Room of the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library,” San Nicolas said.

On. Oct. 23, the NMC’s Room D-1 would open its doors to the public from 4:30pm to 5pm before the debate starts. “Any unauthorized entries after 5pm will not be permitted.”

Professor Sam McPhetres’ Political Science Class has been organizing the debate and the mock presidential elections to support the clamor of U.S. citizens in insular areas for the right to vote for president.

The Oct. 30 mock election being organized by students will give the CNMI electorate the chance to “vote” for president for the first time. All registered voters in the Commonwealth as of Sept. 12, 2004 will be eligible to vote.

Generally, only U.S. citizens who are residing in the CNMI but previously resided in the United States may cast their votes for the upcoming presidential election as absentee voters. The regular residents of the Northern Marianas, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands do not generally vote for president. The last four each send a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Donna Christian-Christensen, the Virgin Islands’ delegate to the U.S. Congress, has introduced a resolution that seeks to amend the U.S. Constitution to extend voting rights to at least 4.3 million U.S. citizens living in the territories. She had said that the right to vote is a fundamental one that should be afforded to all U.S. citizens of voting age.

Registered CNMI voters may cast their ballots in the mock poll at the Joeten Kiyu Public Library’s community room on Oct. 30, from 8am to 7pm.

CNMI voters who are outside the Commonwealth, especially those serving for the military, may cast absentee votes in the mock poll. They may request for absentee ballots through email cnmi-presregister@hotmail.com. Requests for absentee ballots must contain senders’ full name, date of birth, and island of voter registration.