Voters warned vs overvoting

Registered voters are reminded to vote no more candidates than there are available seats for the 2005 election to avoid their vote from being voided.

According to the Commonwealth Election Commission, a voter who votes for more candidates than the number of positions to be filled for each race in the 2005 election will have their vote voided.

This means that their votes will not be counted for the race where they “overvoted.” The rest of their votes will be counted.

“For example, say a voter from Election District 3, votes for one candidate for governor and lieutenant governor, one candidate for Resident Representative, two candidates for the Senate, seven candidates for the House of Representatives, one candidate for mayor, three candidates for the Municipal Council, one candidate for Board of Education, votes yes for all three court officials retention, and votes no for the Constitutional Convention, the votes on this ballot will all count except for the votes for the House of Representatives (because the voter voted for one more candidate than the six positions/seats to be filled in 2005),” the Election Commission said.

Voters should vote for no more than one for governor and lieutenant governor, one for resident representative to the United States, and two for the Senate.

For the House of Representatives, there are six positions available in Election District 1, two in Election District 2, six in Election District 3, two in Election District 4, one in Election District 5, and one in Election District 6.

Voters should vote for only one mayor and three members for the Municipal Council.

Only Saipan and Tinian voters should cast a vote for Board of Education member.

The ballot seeks a “yes” or “no” answer to the questions on the retention of Chief Justice Miguel Sablan Demapan, Associate Justice Alexandro Cruz Castro, and Associate Judge David Arthur Wiseman, as well as the Constitutional Convention question.

The Election Commission said instruction posters would also be placed inside all voting places Commonwealth-wide on Nov. 5, 2005. The posters will be in Carolinian, Chamorro, and English.

The same instructions on the number of positions to be filled are on the ballot headings for all of the races for the general election.