By james art Nearly 5,000 voters have already cast their ballots during Guam’s early voting period, which ends Monday, October 28.
Early voting takes place at The Westin Resort Guam in Tumon from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m
Guam Election Commission Executive Director Maria Pangelinan on Sunday said the GEC had provided services to 4,817 early voters as of Oct. 26.
This is nearly 8% of over 61,000 registered voters as of September.
With a day left in early voting, the number is expected to exceed 5,000.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, who took advantage of early voting on Saturday, is urging residents to vote, which she says gives everyone a chance to make a difference in Guam’s future.
“Voting is not only our right, it’s our responsibility to make sure our voices are heard. Whether you vote early or on Election Day, your vote matters in the direction of our island,” the governor said.
Election day is Tuesday, November 5.
The number of early votes as of Oct. 26 is already more than the 3,450 early ballots cast during this year’s primary race.
This lower early voting turnout coincided with low turnout overall in this year’s primaries.
Only 31.16% of registered voters turned out to vote in the primary election, the second lowest rate of any primary election in Guam’s history.
Only the 1992 primary, held a week after Typhoon Omar, had a lower voter turnout of 25%.