Deadline to file candidacies today

As the window for filing candidacies for the upcoming 2022 general election comes to a close today, the Commonwealth Election Commission reports that over 87 individuals have already officially filed their candidacies.

Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Kayla Igitol said last Monday that the last day to file candidacies, for those interested, will be today, Aug. 10.

As of last Monday, though, she said roughly 87 individuals have already filed their candidacies on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. She expects the number to grow before the end of this day.

Meanwhile, because the period to file candidacies is coming to an end, Igitol said the CEC will now be moving on to the process of going through each candidate’s petition and getting them certified, which she expects will be completed around next week.

“I have our staff going through all the petitions right now and they’re pretty much halfway through. Then the CEC board will certify the candidates and they will issue certifications, hopefully within next week,” she said.

In addition, Igitol said, the CEC has already started its election preparations, including ordering the ballots that will be used this November.

“Right now, we’re corresponding with our vendors that we’re going to order the ballots from,” she said.

Also, the CEC executive director said CEC is in the process of sending out letters to prospective poll sites, requesting to use these facilities during the general election in November.

“We’re [also] preparing logistic-wise. Aside from ordering everything that we need to order, we’re also preparing by sending out request letters for the usage of polling places, and other small things like we are getting our supply boxes ready for our poll workers, updating our rosters, and just maximizing registration,” she said

As the general election draws near, Igitol would also like to encourage everyone to register to vote. For those who can’t register during weekdays, Igitol said the CEC has decided to open on Saturday too to accommodate these individuals.

“We’re open every Saturday starting at 9am until Sept. 9. Sept. 9 is the last day to register to vote. So every Saturday, we have our office here open from 9am to 2pm and we’d like our voters to come in and take advantage of that, especially for the ones that are working and aren’t able to come during weekdays. We’re open on Saturdays. The only thing they would need to bring is a birth certificate or a valid U.S. passport,” she said.