Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia

Congress defeats bill to extend national petition filing date

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Congress): May 28, 2008 – The Fourth Regular Session of the 15th Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia reconvened yesterday and defeated the first bill placed on the calendar.

Congressional Bill 15-99, was defeated in its proposal to amend the election law to require that nomination petitions for candidates running for a seat in Congress be filed at-least 180 days prior to a general election, was defeated in its entirety. Currently, the law requires aspiring candidates to file their petitions with the relevant state office of the national election commissioner at-least 120 days prior to a general election.

While Congress defeated the election bill to extend the filing date, it however passed Congressional Bill 15-16 on First Reading. A bill proposed to allow registered voters to cast their ballots in their registered polling places, in the event his/her name is mistakenly omitted from the signature list. The bill further proposed specific criteria under which the amendment would apply:

  1. Through the utilization of the currently proposed voter identification card;

  2. Voter name is omitted from Signature List, but appears on the National Voter Registry as having voted under that polling jurisdiction in at least one prior national election; and

  3. Name of voter is on the National Voter Registry, the name however, appears on the Signature List of a different polling place and the voter didn’t apply to vote by absentee ballot.

With action taken on the two election bills, Congress went into recess to wrap up its final day of public hearings with the remaining agencies and offices of the national government. It is anticipated that the Fourth Regular Session will adjourned as scheduled, within the 20-day time-table.