A large number of voters turned up yesterday during the second day of the seven-day early voting period on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. <\/p>\n
According to Commonwealth Election Commission administrative officer Kayla Igitol, 623 cast their votes on the three islands yesterday.<\/p>\n
At the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe, 467 Saipan and Northern Islands voters cast their votes. A total of 11 voters from Tinian went to the polling place, while 24 from Rota voted, for a total of 502 voters, Igitol said.<\/p>\n
At the Department of Public Safety on Tinian, 43 cast their votes, while 78 voted at DPS on Rota, Igitol said.<\/p>\n
CEC executive director Julita A. Villagomez said yesterday\u2019s number of voters is a big turnout, comparable to the first day of early voting during a gubernatorial election.<\/p>\n
Police captain Lawrence Camacho said yesterday that early voting has been going smoothly on the three islands.<\/p>\n
As of 2:15pm yesterday, 393 have already voted on Saipan. <\/p>\n
On the first day of early voting on Tuesday, 581 trooped to designated polling places. CEC considered that number a good turnout as it\u2019s a midterm election and it was All Saints\u2019 Day.<\/p>\n
There are 17,930 registered voters in the CNMI. <\/p>\n
Camacho said he already dispatched one Saipan police officer to Tinian and another Saipan police officer to Rota because election on the two islands is usually \u201cheavy.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Saipan police officer has been assigned each on Tinian and Rota and they will be assisted by three other police officers from each of the two islands, said Camacho<\/p>\n
Camacho has been designated by DPS as election operation commander.<\/p>\n
Camacho said the two Saipan officers will return to Saipan on Nov. 8 when they escort the ballot boxes from Tinian and Rota for final counting at the Multi-Purpose Center.<\/p>\n
Camacho said the assigned officers on Tinian and Rota have been communicating with them on Saipan.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far it\u2019s good,\u201d Camacho.<\/p>\n
At the Multi-Purpose Center\u2019s parking lot, police tell some voters who have political stickers on their vehicles to either remove them or park beyond 300 feet from the polling place. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the election law. The CEC let us know about the law and we enforce it,\u201d Camacho said.<\/p>\n
He said not allowing political stickers or banners within 300 feet from a polling place is good because it reduces any commotion from political parties and their supporters.<\/p>\n
Two police officers are assigned inside the Multi-Purpose Center while another is posted outside.<\/p>\n
On Nov. 8 itself, Camacho said he will assign two to three police officers at every polling precinct on Saipan.<\/p>\n
On top of that, Camacho said, police officers will also be roving to conduct spot checks or serve as troubleshooters.<\/p>\n
Camacho said police officers will also be escorting the ballot boxes and poll workers in the buses on their way to the polling places from the Multi-Purpose Center and back for the tabulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to eyeball the boxes,\u201d Camacho said.<\/p>\n
Ignacia Igisaiar, a 54-year-old house worker, said early voting is faster and there are less people and less traffic.<\/p>\n
Igisaiar, a voter from Precinct 1 or the Koblerville area, said she did not vote on the first day of early voting on Tuesday because she went to the cemetery for All Saints Day.<\/p>\n
Igisaiar has been an early voter in past elections.<\/p>\n
For Vicenta Sanchez, a 24-year-old housewife, it was her first time to vote early yesterday and that she likes it because it\u2019s faster and there was no crowding at the polling place.<\/p>\n
Sanchez, a voter from Precinct 1 or the Koblerville area, said her cousin invited her to try early voting. She was supposed to vote on Tuesday but no one would watch her 5-year-old son at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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