Voters back to 17K-mark; 2.3K absentee voters to go up

From 18,002 registered voters a few weeks ago, the number went down to the 17,000-mark, which is still the highest in CNMI history.

Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Robert A. Guerrero also disclosed that, as of Tuesday, there were 2,300 absentee voters and the number is expected to go up by a hundred because of the applications they received last Friday.

Guerrero said that, as of Oct. 2, there were 17,996 registered voters, including absentee voters. Two days before that, on Sept. 30, the number of registered voters was at 18,002.

Guerrero said the total went down after the hospital provided CEC with certifications on the people who have passed away.

“We got the [death certificates] and we deducted, that’s why it went back to 17,996,” he explained.

He said they can still remove registered voters’ names for deaths and felony convictions.

He noted if the court says that a person has been convicted of a felony, CEC has to remove the name of that person from the roster of registered voters.

Guerrero said the 17,000-mark is still the highest in CNMI history. In the past, the total number of registered voters barely made it to 16,000.

Of the 17,996 registered CNMI voters, Saipan has 14,376; Tinian has 1,656; Rota has 1,799; and Northern Islands has 165.

In the general election in 2009, the number of registered voters totaled 16,146. In 2005, the number was at 15,118.

Of absentee voters, Guerrero said the 2,300 as of Tuesday is expected to go up by over a hundred because of the last applications they received last Friday—the deadline for applications through email and fax.

“The number could increase but not much, not a tremendous amount, about 100-some,” he said.

Guerrero stressed that people can still walk in and request for absentee ballots all the way to the day before the Nov. 4 election day.

The executive director said those who submitted applications for absentee ballots during Friday’s deadline were those requested by email or fax.

Guerrero said voters can still go to their office and request for absentee ballots if they are going off-island.

“We just give them the absentee ballots. We don’t get the ballots. They have to turn over the ballots to the post office,” he said.

Guerrero believes that they can start receiving the absentee ballots tomorrow, Friday.

He said if the post office will allow them on Friday, they will inventory to determine how many ballots come in. The absentee ballots go through the post office, which then secure them.