CEC certifies election results

Commonwealth Election Commission administrative officer Kayla Igitol prepares the absentee ballot boxes for processing. Behind Igitol are CEC commissioners talking with CEC executive director Julita A. Villagomez. (Ferdie de la Torre)

The Commonwealth Election Commission tabulation committee completed last night its counting of 1,571 absentee ballots and certified the results of this year’s general election.

Rota senator Paul A. Manglona (Ind) obtained 279 absentee ballots—for a total of 651 votes—to clinch the victory while his closest competitor, Rota Municipal Council chair George Ogo Hocog (GOP), got only 100, for a total of just 478 votes. Thomas Lee Atalig Manglona (Dem) received a total of 384 votes.

At the Nov. 8 tabulation, Hocog edged Paul Manglona with just six votes, 378-372.

Aside from the Rota upset, the absentee ballots generally did not affect the results of the earlier tabulation, showing the CNMI Republican Party candidates’ domination of this year’s election.

In an interview after the tabulation last night, CEC chair Frances M. Sablan disclosed that they may have to do a recount for two races: precincts 3 and 6.

“We are preparing ourselves because the race is close in terms of the number of votes,” Sablan said.

Because of the close race, Sablan said, the commission expects the candidates to exercise their right to demand a recount by going to the Superior Court to litigate.

Sablan said it’s a relief that the counting of ballots is over. “I’m glad that we started since yesterday in processing the absentees. Because we know that it’s a painstaking process to open the envelopes and compare the signatures and all of that,” she said.

According to the CEC certified election results, U.S. Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), who ran unopposed for a fifth term, obtained 1,188 absentee votes and received a total of 10,605 votes.

Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho got tremendous support from absentee voters with 1,062 “yes” votes and only 245 “no” votes for his retention on the bench. In total the judge received 9,227 “yes” votes and 2,588 “no votes.”

For the Saipan senatorial district, Sen. Sixto Kaipat Igisomar (GOP) got 267 absentee votes while his lone opponent, former senator Ray Naraja Yumul(Ind), got only 187. Igisomar received a total of 5,825 votes for a landslide victory over Yumul, who got only 3,321 total votes.

For the Tinian and Aguiguan senatorial positions, Senate President Francisco Manglona Borja (GOP) prevailed after garnering 180 absentee ballots, for a total of 713 votes. Henry Hofschneider San Nicolas (Ind) got 172 absentee ballots, for a total of 579 votes.

In the battle for the House Saipan seats, absentee ballots further proved the Republicans’ dominance.

In Precinct 1, the absentee ballots did not affect the results. Rep. Edwin Kenneth Propst (Ind) got 79 votes to stay on top, for a total of 2,024.

All five GOP candidates emerged victorious—Rep. Angel Aldan Demapan got a total of 1,975 votes; Rep. Joseph Leepan Tenorio Guerrero, 1,702; Rep. Joseph Pinaula Deleon Guerrero, 1,591; Janet Ulloa Maratita, 1,580; and Gregorio Muna Sablan Jr., 1,513.

For House Precinct 2, Reps. John Paul Palacios Sablan and Rafael Sablan Demapan, both GOPs, still got the two slots, respectively. Sablan received a total of 571 votes, while Demapan got 512. Vicente Aldan Ichihara (Ind) got 372 total.

For House Precinct 3, it’s still the same results. Former press secretary Ivan Alafanso Blanco (GOP) emerged the top vote-getter with a total of 1,267 votes. The other five who made it were Rep. Blas Jonathan “BJ” Tenorio Attao (Ind), Rep. Edmund Joseph Sablan Villagomez (Ind), Donald Cabrera Barcinas (GOP), Francisco Santos Dela Cruz (GOP), and Jose Ilo Itibus (GOP). Rep. Ralph N. Yumul (Ind) is out after landing on seventh place with 958 votes. Itibus got 997 votes.

For House Precinct 4, absentee ballots did not affect the outcome. Rep. Vinzon Edward Flores Sablan (Ind) came on top with 753 total votes followed by Alice Santos Igitol (GOP) with 610. Rep. George Norita Camacho (GOP) landed on third with 529 votes.

For House Precinct 5, absentee ballots also did not have an effect. Rep. Iglecias Deleon Guerrero (Ind) came first with 843 votes, followed by Francisco Concepcion Aguon (GOP) with 827 total votes. Antonio Reyes Agulto (GOP) landed on third with 528 total votes.

For House Precinct 6 (Tinian), Edwin Palacios Aldan (GOP) got 184 more absentee ballots, while Diana Hocog Borja (Ind) received 169 absentee ballots. Aldan got a total of 685 votes, while Hocog received 607 total votes.

For the Rota House seat, Glenn Lizama Maratita (GOP) got 224 absentee votes to still win with a total of 804 votes. Tricia Marie Atalig Manglona (Dem) received 294 absentee votes, but only got 686 total votes.

For the Municipal Council-Saipan and Northern Islands, Luis John Deleon Guerrero Castro got a total of 6,107 votes. Diego Litulumar Kaipat received a total of 5,053 total votes.

For Municipal Council-Tinian and Aguiguan, Phillip Thomas Mendiola-Long got 731 total votes, followed by Antonio San Nicolas Borja with 664 votes. Edwin Manglona Hofschneider got 658 votes, while Reynaldo Mendiola Cing received 652 votes.

For Municipal Council-Rota, Anthony Wayne Barcinas got 1,149 votes, followed by Kary John Ramos with 1,007. Ivan Mereb Jr. received 927.

For Board of Education-Saipan, Janice Marie Ada Tenorio got the top spot with 4,706 total votes. Marylou Seman Ada received 3,758 total votes. Andrew Lujan Orsini came third with 3,280 votes.

For Board of Education-Rota, Herman Mangona Atalig got 907 total votes to defeat Dexter Peter Apatang who got 572 votes.

The CEC counted 1,571 absentee ballots and rejected 164. CEC sent out 1,699 absentee ballots.

The overall number of votes totaled 10,993, excluding the absentee ballots.

Most of the rejected absentee ballots were the ones that CEC picked up yesterday at the post office in Chalan Kanoa.

Out of 984 absentee ballots that CEC received last Nov. 8, 66 ballots were rejected.

CEC administrative officer Kayla Igitol said there were 66 rejected ballots out of the first batch of 984 because many of those voters did not put their affidavits.

Igitol said some also did not pack the absentee ballots properly, while a couple did not fill up the affidavits correctly so CEC could not identify them.

Igitol said they managed to intercept three absentee voters that were among the five voters CEC removed from the list of registered voters for being “dual voters.”

Igitol said they picked up the 984 ballots from a secure office at the Department of Corrections on Monday at 11:30am and started processing them at 12pm.

Igitol said they finished processing the 984 ballots on Monday at 11pm.

She said the process took so long because they have to verify whether the ballots met the law’s requirements such as matching the affidavits with the documents.

CEC picked up the second batch consisting of 538 absentee ballots at the post office yesterday at 9am.

After CEC completed the processing of the 538 ballots yesterday afternoon, they rejected 96.

Sablan said most of the rejected ballots have postmarks after Nov. 8.