By: L.N. Reklai
(Koror, Palau) A letter by Senator Joel Toribiong demanding that the names of persons in the National Voters Registry who registered outside of the Republic of Palau be removed was sent to Palau Election Commission on Thursday, August 25, 2016.
[restrict]
Stating that the registrations made outside of the Republic were in violation of the law, 23 PNC Section 1401 and 1402, the letter demands that Palau Election Commission take immediate action to strike and remove the names of Palauans who registered to vote outside of Palau such as Guam and CNMI.
Citing 23 PNC Section 1401(a), “who, except for the requirement of registration, is otherwise entitled to vote may register to vote in the administrative district in which he resides..” and (c) No person shall register to vote or vote as an elector of any other precinct than that in which he resides…”, Senator Toribiong states that those that registered outside of Palau did not register in “the administrative district in which he/she resides”.
Senator Toribiong believes that the language of the law was violated when persons registered to vote while in Guam or other places outside of Palau, which is not their “administrative district or precinct”.
The question seemed to be in the interpretation of the law. Does the “administrative district” refer to a place where a person actually fills a registration form or a place a person registers to vote in?
Board members of Election Commission contend that they are following the law and that the law was not violated when they registered new voters in Guam to vote in Palau. [/restrict]