GEC purging names of inactive voters
The books may have been closed for decision 2014, but it does not mean the Guam Election Commission isn't keeping itself busy.
January 8, 2015Updated: January 12, 2015
By KUAM News
By KUAM News by Ken Quintanilla
Guam - The books may have been closed for decision 2014, but it does not mean the Guam Election Commission isn't keeping itself busy. In fact, they're already preparing for the 2016 elections.
From issuing certificates of election in time for the inaugurations earlier this week to updating its website and sending out communication to voters - the GEC continues to be hard at work following November's general election. Executive director Maria Pangelinan said, "On top of that we must begin to prepare the election comparative and analysis report simply stated that's the data generated from the 2014 elections."
Along with recommendations, the report will include precinct by precinct figures and voter demographics. In order to complete this report, the GEC must physically go through its records, removing names of people from the voter roster who failed to vote in the past four years. This is commonly known as purging. "And the system will automatically take those voters names, those who didn't vote in 2012 general and in 2014 general, we will take those names off the voter roster," he added.
Following the 2012 general election, over 4,700 voters names were purged. Pangelinan expects she says to happen again. "We will send them initially a letter, I believe in January and then we will publish their names if they don't come back and register," she explained.
While 51,000 people were registered to vote, only 37,373 people actually participated in November's general election. Pangelinan says it's disheartening to know that so many people failed to vote.
"This is the fundamental right this is what soldiers go out and fight for this kind of stuff and yet we need to educate our island community to say we need to get involved," Pangelinan said.
And while the next election isn't until 2016, she is already encouraging people to register to vote. "Now is a good time, you come in, there's no waiting," she said.
She adds while 2016 won't be a gubernatorial election, she expects the race to be "very active to say the least." Pangelinan said, "This will be the first election, since the implementation of the Hay (Raises) where mayors are up to $75,000 and vice mayors are up to $68,000, so I'm looking for an excellent slate of candidates across the 19 villages."
It will also be the first election since senators received a pay raise following the signing of Public Law 32-208.
"So it's going to be an interesting election," she said.
You can register to vote at the GEC offices Monday through Friday at the GCIC Building in Hagatna.
Guam - The books may have been closed for decision 2014, but it does not mean the Guam Election Commission isn't keeping itself busy. In fact, they're already preparing for the 2016 elections.
From issuing certificates of election in time for the inaugurations earlier this week to updating its website and sending out communication to voters - the GEC continues to be hard at work following November's general election. Executive director Maria Pangelinan said, "On top of that we must begin to prepare the election comparative and analysis report simply stated that's the data generated from the 2014 elections."
Along with recommendations, the report will include precinct by precinct figures and voter demographics. In order to complete this report, the GEC must physically go through its records, removing names of people from the voter roster who failed to vote in the past four years. This is commonly known as purging. "And the system will automatically take those voters names, those who didn't vote in 2012 general and in 2014 general, we will take those names off the voter roster," he added.
Following the 2012 general election, over 4,700 voters names were purged. Pangelinan expects she says to happen again. "We will send them initially a letter, I believe in January and then we will publish their names if they don't come back and register," she explained.
While 51,000 people were registered to vote, only 37,373 people actually participated in November's general election. Pangelinan says it's disheartening to know that so many people failed to vote.
"This is the fundamental right this is what soldiers go out and fight for this kind of stuff and yet we need to educate our island community to say we need to get involved," Pangelinan said.
And while the next election isn't until 2016, she is already encouraging people to register to vote. "Now is a good time, you come in, there's no waiting," she said.
She adds while 2016 won't be a gubernatorial election, she expects the race to be "very active to say the least." Pangelinan said, "This will be the first election, since the implementation of the Hay (Raises) where mayors are up to $75,000 and vice mayors are up to $68,000, so I'm looking for an excellent slate of candidates across the 19 villages."
It will also be the first election since senators received a pay raise following the signing of Public Law 32-208.
"So it's going to be an interesting election," she said.
You can register to vote at the GEC offices Monday through Friday at the GCIC Building in Hagatna.