Still big turnout on 2nd day of early voting

The Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe was swamped again with voters yesterday, the second day of the seven-day early voting. This time, there was less crowding outside.

Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Robert A. Guerrero told Saipan Tribune last night that there was still a big turnout on Saipan, with 590 early voters—just one less from Tuesday’s 591.

Guerrero said he did not get the number of early voters for Tinian and Rota yesterday.

The executive director said there was no overcrowding yesterday because the flow of voters was continuous.

“It’s much smoother since we opened this morning,” he said.

Guerrero said even before they opened yesterday morning, many people were already waiting outside, but they were let in expeditiously.

“They don’t have to wait as they did yesterday [Tuesday],” he said. “So far, everything is okay…just routine stuff.”

Commonwealth Ports Authority board chair Jose Lifoifoi and his wife, Cecilia, were among the early voters yesterday.

Lifoifoi said they voted early because they’re going to the Philippines on Friday to visit the grave of his wife’s mother.

Lifoifoi said it was his first time to vote early.

The Lifoifoi couple described the voting process as smooth and well-organized.

“Early voting is good because you don’t have to worry on Nov. 4,” said Lifoifoi.

Rafael Rangamar, 79, agreed that the voting was efficient and that he did not wait that long to be allowed in and cast his vote.

Rangamar said it’s also his first time to vote early after learning about the early voting process from the newspapers. He said he told his daughter to bring him to the Multi-Purpose Center.

“I don’t like a lot of people, crowded,” said Rangamar who has been on a wheelchair for 15 years now. His original plan was to vote on Tuesday, the start of the early voting, so he sent his daughter that day to the Multi-Purpose Center.

Rangamar said his daughter later told him that it’s overcrowded on Tuesday so he decided to just vote the following day, yesterday.

He said early voting is comfortable for sickly and elderly people like him.

Rangamar’s common-law wife, Juliana Daikichy, 49, assisted him at the polling station.

Early voting for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota will be done every day, even weekends, until Nov. 3, from 8:30am to 4pm. The early voting concept started in 2010.