PROVISIONAL voting will be allowed at the upcoming elections, the Guam Election Commission decided during its meeting yesterday evening.
At a previous GEC meeting, there had been some concern over the process, especially with possible errors in the process.
However, provisional voting is a federal mandate, according to GEC’s legal counsel Jeffrey Moots. He stated: “Upon further review, it appears that the initial plan of using telephonic communications to confirm the poll voter’s eligibility to vote is fine.”
Moots added the confirmation must be made and the ballots placed in the ballot box by 8 p.m. After the deadline, no more provisional ballots will be accepted.
If a voter’s name does not appear on the list of registered voters at a voting precinct, they are required by law to be given a provisional ballot and submit a written affirmation.
Precinct officials must then call the headquarters and relay the voter’s information on the written affirmation. Once the GEC staff has verified the name and information on either the electronic listing or the signature roster from previous elections, the vote is placed on the ballot box for counting.
Meanwhile, GEC is continuing with other tasks for the primary election on Sept. 1 and the general election on Nov. 6. Training for precinct officials are underway, as is in-office voting.
The submission of name variations for Carl Gutierrez, the write-in candidate for the position for Public Auditor, is still pending.
Aug. 22 is the last day to register to vote. All voters are reminded to have a valid ID with them when they vote on election day.
