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Election panel full blast in educational campaign
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Posted on Oct 11 2005
The Commonwealth Election Commission has embarked on a public information campaign regarding two issues on which voters must also decide in the Nov. 5 elections: the constitutional convention and the retention of three court officers.
Assistant attorney generals James D. Livingstone and Arin Greenwood, both working with Election Commission, spoke at yesterday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Saipan to discuss the two questions that would appear on the election ballot.
Livingstone explained that the law required the Election Commission to asked voters the question on constitutional convention at least every 10 years.
Nov. 6, 1993 was the last time the CNMI voters were asked this question.
If two-thirds of the votes cast are in favor of holding a convention, the Legislature will assemble the convention. The 27 delegates of the convention will be elected on a nonpartisan basis.
Livingstone cited cost as a factor in holding a convention. Such an undertaking, he noted, would require the hiring of temporary workers, travel by the delegates, and publication of educational materials, among other things.
For her part, Greenwood said two justices and one judge are up for retention elections this year. They are Chief Justice Miguel S. Demapan and Associate Justice Alexandro C. Castro of the Supreme Court and Associate Judge David A. Wiseman of the Superior Court.
If a majority of the votes cast are affirmative, the judge or justice in question will serve a term of six or eight years, respectively, in addition to their initial term of the same length.
