Low turnout in absentee voter registration

Only 117 Filipinos in the CNMI have so far registered for absentee voting since registration began on Feb. 1, Philippine Consul General in the CNMI Wilfredo DL. Maximo told Saipan Tribune yesterday.

The low voter registration turnout is not only happening in the CNMI but in all other parts of the world where Filipinos work and live, and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs cites the infamous “manana” habit or procrastination as the reason for it.

As of March 9, only 15,234 overseas Filipinos worldwide registered for the overseas absentee voting since registration began on Feb. 1 to be able to vote in the May 14, 2010, presidential polls.

The Philippine government needs at least 166,666 registrants every month to reach its target of one million overseas registrants until registration ends on Aug. 31.

In the CNMI, the low turnout is attributed mainly to a number of Filipinos going back home after their employment contracts were not renewed as businesses either shut down or cut manpower due to the economic slowdown.

The Philippine Consulate General in the CNMI puts the estimate on the number of voter registrants this year at 7,000.

“That is a very optimistic number because of the downturn in the economy…We’re crossing our fingers that the number of registrants will increase toward the end of the registration in August,” Maximo said.

The 2010 national elections would be the third time Filipinos abroad will participate in elections in the Philippines while away from home.

Filipinos abroad are allowed to vote for senatorial candidates and party-list groups during the local and congressional polls, and during national elections, for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, in accordance with the Philippine Republic Act 9189, or the Absentee Voting Act of 2003.

The Philippine government had hoped that more Filipinos will register because the 2010 elections is a presidential—rather than a mid-term—election.

As of yesterday, the names of 2,110 Filipinos in the CNMI who failed to cast their vote in the 2004 and 2007 elections were removed from the list of registered voters, Maximo said.

“Those who feel that they’ve been dropped from the list because they didn’t vote in the last two elections and still want to take an active part in the political process in the Philippines should register before the deadline of Aug. 31,” Maximo added.

Those who voted in both or at least one of the previous polls do not need to register.

However, those who would like to verify whether their name is still on the list of registered voters are encouraged to personally check with the Philippine Consulate General on the fifth floor of the Marianas Business Plaza (formerly Nauru Building) in Susupe.

Voter registration is from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and is open during lunch hours.

Maximo said Filipinos need to bring their original passport and a photocopy of it when registering.