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Senate confirms CEC appointees
The CNMI Senate unanimously confirmed Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ appointees to the Commonwealth Elections Commission last Friday.
The new commissioners are Lelanie I. Manglona, for Rota; John D. Attao, for Tinian; and Doris Ann A. Atalig and Vicenta A. Rosario, for Saipan. They will each serve a term of four years.
Besides Manglona, who is currently working at the Department of Finance, all three are new to the commission. Attao is a retired U.S. Air Force technical sergeant, Atalig is an administrative professional, and Rosario is a claim examiner at the Commonwealth Medicaid Agency.
Prior to their confirmation, Sen. Vinnie Sablan (Ind-Saipan) brought up factors and recommendations for the commissioners to consider, including population and the need to improve voter turnout, economic challenges, and the audit report released in January by the Office of the Public Auditor.
The OPA report cited CEC’s lack of accountability on used and unused ballots in the 2018 general elections, and the commission’s lack of standard process for the accounting of the ballots, preventing CEC from identifying potential electoral fraud or irregularities.
Sen. Francisco Borja (R-Tinian) echoed Sablan’s sentiment in addressing concerns on the accountability of the ballots, and asked the commissioners to find ways to improve on issues surrounding the elections, including absentee voting and the registration of voters.
With three of the commissioners new to the system, Sen. Sixto Igisomar (R-Saipan) noted the changing times and the need to work on “archaic” policies at the Elections Commission.
“Once you are confirmed, you hold a fiduciary responsibility to that position. You should follow the guidelines and follow the rules. Your role is to take a look at what’s happening, what needs to be done, what needs to be changed, and then recommend policy changes to us if it is not working,” he said.
