Young and old voters troop to polling places

– Seventy-five-year-old Tito Bansil cast his vote at the GTC Elementary School (Precinct 4B) and was accompanied by son, Robert Bansil, and daughter-in-law Irene Babauta. Though he has difficulty walking and has hearing problems, Tito Bansil said he still decided to vote (an has been doing it since he turned 18) and hopes the winning candidates will go out more in the community to find out how they can help people in their precincts, especially the elderly population. (Roselyn Monroyo)

– Naturalized U.S. citizens were excited to cast their first vote. Matilde Orcasitas, owner of Matt’s Barbecue, said it was her and her husband’s first time to vote in the CNMI. Orcasitas, 57, they have a lot of friends who are running in this year’s election. Orcasita first arrived on Saipan in 1985. She and her husband became U.S. citizens only last December. (Ferdie de la Torre)

– A lawyer said he does not understand why some political supporters have to drive vehicles and make loud music or blow their horns near polling places. He also does not understand why some supporters have to make loud music in tents. The lawyer, however, praised CNMI voters because they participate in the election, unlike in the U.S. mainland. “That’s positive thing,” said the lawyer, who is new to the island. It was his first time to observe election in the Commonwealth. (Ferdie de la Torre)

– Seventy-six-year-old Larry Norita went to the Jesus P. Mafnas Legislative Building (Precinct 4C) with his wife Rosalina. He drove to their designated precinct in his old car (not air-conditioned) past 12pm, with the hot weather and road construction work ongoing on Capital Hill. He walked to the door of the building in a cane and came out smiling after casting his vote. “It’s my responsibility to vote and I’ve been doing in since I was 18.” (Roselyn Monroyo)

– A woman in a wheelchair and wearing a tube (breathing problem) insisted on personally going to the polling booth at the Kagman Elementary School and casting her vote. A police officer earlier told the women that she can stay in the car and the ballot will be brought to her. (Roselyn Monroyo)

– First-time voter Husky Vi Dispo Cucal said he felt so weird once he was inside the polling booth at Kagman Elementary School. He has been hearing a lot from the candidates and their platforms and people he knew have been convincing him to vote for certain individuals so it was very difficult for him to decide. In the end, he chose the candidates who value education more, as he believes young people like himself needs someone who will make sure that students get opportunities to learn and attain higher education. (Roselyn Monroyo)

– At 9:15am several different parties already set up tents to wave at oncoming traffic at Dandan Middle School. However, some were still kind of settling in and people were still gathering in their respective tents. (Michael T. Santos)

– By 10am people were getting more rambunctious as more supporters arrived and settled in to greet oncoming cars and potential voters in Dandan Middle School. (Michael T. Santos)

– At the Koblerville Youth Center, not many people were present to vote early in the morning. After about half an hour, more people began gathering at the site, with several voters arriving on foot. (Michael T. Santos)

– A teenager arrived at the Koblerville Youth Center with her mother and grandmother in order to vote for the first time. The mother claims that she and the grandmother are not able to vote, but they came to support her daughter finally being able to exercise her right. (Michael T. Santos)

– The Matua Riding Group arrived in Dandan Middle School at 2:15pm to support its members who were voting in their precinct. (Michael T. Santos)

– By 3:39pm, the Koblerville Youth Center was a lot more rowdy, with more cars parked around Rep. Joseph Lee Pan Guerrero’s group. Gus Kaipat supported the rally by “livening” up the rally. Candidate Lee Pan also joined in waving to oncoming cars. He said, “Due to past experiences, I have decided that I needed to be here to determine what the flow of the voters is, what are their expectations, who are they voting for, and what kind of voters they are to appeal to their needs and hopefully garner more support. I simply want to help people who are able to vote, to exercise their rights and allow their voices to be heard.” (Michael T. Santos)

– By late afternoon, even more people have gathered at Dandan Middle School, resulting in sporadic shouting and several cars having mobility issues due to the abundance of parked vehicles on the side of the road. (Michael T. Santos)

– Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) arrived at the Garapan Elementary School with a big smile and a warm greeting for facilitators. Before voting, he asked for a magnifying glass so he could see his voting form. (Erwin Encinares)

– A mother and son of Korean descent also came to the Garapan Elementary School. It wasn’t their first time to vote here. They have been living on Saipan for 30 years already and have voted thrice. The son has been living on Saipan since he was 11. (Erwin Encinares)

– Most of the candidates were handing out refreshments to passers by. (Erwin Encinares)

– Many of the police officers were very young, probably fresh graduates. Many of them were in their early 20’s. (Erwin Encinares)

– A voter brought her child and mother to the voting area. A CEC official offered to look after the child. The child seemed to enjoy the company of the CEC official despite being anxious about the separation from his mother. After voting, the official explained that children were not allowed to go with their parents while they vote so as to minimize risks as much as possible. (Erwin Encinares)

– A voter was asked to stop using her phone. A notice was posted outside warning voters against the use of electronics. (Erwin Encinares)

– The GES voting area was divided into two: for those with last names starting with A to L and L to Z. More people seemed to line up in the L – Z line. (Erwin Encinares)

– First-time voters seemed to take longer than others. They also seem to be more nervous and clueless when it comes to the whole voting process but once they get out of the voting area, the nervousness fades away. (Erwin Encinares)

– Things were slow but a facilitator shared that about two elections ago, things were much more rowdy, with protests against certain candidates. (Erwin Encinares)

– There was only one ballot box at the Tanapag Elementary School, compared to GES, which had two. DPS officers were strict about ID but were very friendly. The DPS officers offered to look after voter’s electronics as they were voting and made sure to return them before leaving the voting area. (Erwin Encinares)

– Elderly voters were well accommodated by CEC officials, guiding them and providing them with the proper utensils in order to allow them to vote comfortably. (Erwin Encinares)

– A blind voter stepped in with his assistive aid. He was promptly assisted. For voting, he was accompanied by a CEC official who read out the candidates while a DPS officer witnessed. The blind voter obviously enjoyed the experience—as when he left the voting booth he had a full smile on his face. (Erwin Encinares)