Voter registration plummets

Barely 13,000 voters will decide who the Commonwealth’s first-ever congressional delegate will be this November—just about a fourth of the total CNMI population.

The number of voters who have registered for this year’s election—12,947—represents a 14-percent drop, compared with 15,200 during the midterm election last year.

With nine candidates in the running and so few votes up grabs, many believe the race is open for any candidate. In the Commonwealth, the candidate with the highest number of votes wins. As is typical in a plurality system, the larger the number of candidates, the smaller the percentage of votes needed to win.

Gregorio C. Sablan, a former executive director of the Commonwealth Election Commission and an independent candidate for delegate, said the small number of registered voters is not surprising. He noted that, although historic, this year’s election is for one position only and hence does not attract as much as interest as, for instance, a gubernatorial election, where many government jobs are “on the line.”

Another possible reason for the low registration is a law requiring previously registered voters to re-register if they miss one election. The 2007 election posted the lowest voter turnout in over 10 years, with over 4,000 registered voters failing to cast their ballots. Under the law, all those voters were automatically taken off the voters’ list and were required to re-register to vote this year.

According to Sablan’s estimate, there are over 3,000 eligible voters who did not register for this year’s election.

Yet Sablan expressed hope that registered voters would turn up and cast their ballots on Nov. 4. “I hope we get a high turnout this year. This is a very important election, and people need to take part,” he said.

According to Election Commission statistics, Election District 1, which consists of San Antonio, San Vicente and Koblerville, has 3,529 voters. Election District 2, made up of Chalan Kanoa and Susupe, has 1,008 voters. Election District 3 has 2,700 voters, including 1,990 in Garapan and 710 in Oleai.

Tanapag, San Roque, Capital Hill and the Northern Islands, which comprise Election District 4, have 1,412 voters. The Kagman subdivisions, which make up Election District 5, have 1,797 voters.

Tinian has 1,136 voters and Rota has 1,365 voters.