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‘Exercise your right to vote’
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres is encouraging the voting members of the community to exercise their right to choose the leaders that would lead the CNMI in the coming years. The general election is set next week, Nov. 13, with early voting starting yesterday.
The elections were supposed to take place yesterday, Nov. 6, but Torres pushed it back for another week after the islands of Saipan and Tinian were pummeled by Super Typhoon Yutu last Oct. 24 and 25.
He said the Commonwealth Election Commission has a contingency plan in place starting from the early voting yesterday. “I’m encouraging everyone to exercise their right and vote.”
“The CEC has everything covered. All the polling places and everything that we’re looking at are in place. Our [power] restoration is a lot better and faster than what we had after [Typhoon] Soudelor [in 2015].”
Torres said elections are a way of grading the government. “We also want to get this election done so we could move on to recovery and continue with our restoration.”
“Again, I encourage everybody to exercise your right to vote. [Voting] is the only way for us to measure the success of our government. …Whether you’re on island or off island, please come out and exercise your right to vote…whether early voting or during the Nov. 13 election day.”
In separate press briefing last week, Torres said he can extend the election again if they see the need to do so, with the priority being the recovery and relief efforts for those gravely affected by Yutu.
The CEC has already adopted new designated polling places to replace those that were damaged by Yutu. The Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center is the designated area for early voting that will end on Nov. 12, Monday.
Former governor Juan N. Babauta, who is challenging Torres for the CNMI’s top post, along with Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) and his opponent Rep. Angel A. Demapan (R-Saipan) said they supported the decision to postpone the election.
The general elections were originally set on Nov. 6. Torres is up for re-election and he is running with Senate President Arnold Palacios (R-Saipan) as his running-mate. They are up against Babauta and former Education commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan.
