Inos: We need to review runoff process

With only 794 of an estimated 2,100 absentee ballots making it to the U.S. Post Office in time for the Dec. 5 deadline, Gov. Eloy S. Inos and the camp of former House speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider are calling for reforms on the whole runoff election process, especially the one that deals with absentee ballots.

Inos and his running mate, Senate President Ralph DLG. Torres (R-Saipan) won the 2014 runoff election for governor after the absentee votes that did come in Friday pushed their lead to 1,744. Inos-Torres got 330 votes in the absentee votes, while Hofschneider-Yumul received 185.

While the governor-elect is ecstatic for winning his first election running for the chief executive post of the Commonwealth, Inos acknowledged that the runoff process this year left something to be desired.

“From our contacts, some of our folks didn’t receive their ballots on time. Some received their ballots on time but it was just too late to get them over to the post office, and some were returned due to postage shortage. We’re going have to really review this process through revised legislation. We can’t deprive those folks from voting. I think the reason for this is because of the runoff requirement. We need to figure out a way to have this done earlier in the game.”

Inos said one way of helping CEC get the runoff process going even before the Top 2 in the general elections are decided and if the topnotcher doesn’t get 50 percent plus one of the vote, is to just mail an absentee ballot that only requires the absentee voter to write in the name of the candidate.

“The problem that this people have is they don’t know who’s going to be in the ballot after you’re done with the general election. So I don’t know, but just right off the cuff maybe they should get a certified blank ballot and just write it in. Fourteen days is just not enough with the current process. I think once we know who the two winners are, they should be able to have a way of knowing who these folks are and just write the names in and send the ballots in.”

The governor also said another solution is not wait for the absentee ballots at all if votes between the No. 1 and No. 2 candidates are so wide it’s already statistically impossible for the latter to make up the difference. He also suggested the return to a two-party system.

“The other one with this issue is we need to have a limit on the difference between the first and the second. You don’t always want to have a situation like this. The other way is to go back to the two-party system where you have a primary. The only folks that are in the ballot would be the folks elected by each party of the primary process. In that way, the winner will be the person who received the highest votes.”

Hofschneider-Yumul Committee-to-Elect chair David Attao, meanwhile said the runoff election in theory is a good concept but adequate time should be provided.

“Either have the general or primary election months earlier than the runoff in November with ample time for the CEC to send out ballots and voters to respond properly and without feeling rushed—as long as everyone has a chance to vote.”

Like Inos, Attao hopes that CEC will works with the Legislature to provide input and come up with or borrow a more effective model for future runoff elections in the CNMI.

“There are probably more effective and efficient models of handling things like the runoff and multiple candidates and parties running for governor and lieutenant governor.”