Multiple Votes Allowed
Marshall Islands National Election 2019
From the Marshall Islands Journal, September 6, 2019:
Voters be aware: In multiple seat voting districts, you may vote for the maximum or as few as you like and your ballot will still be valid.
In Majuro’s Nitijela contest, for example, which has five seats: A voter can check mark the five candidates of his or her choice. But the voter could also vote for one, two, three or four candidates if they choose.
All options are considered a valid vote and the ballot will be counted even if fewer than the maximum number of available boxes are check marked, said RMI Chief Electoral Officer Benjamin Kiluwe this week.
“We have re-worded the ballot instruction to read, in case of five, three or two seat election districts, ‘kelet enjab lonlok jen 5,3,2…’ or choose not more than 5,3,2…as the case may be,” he said.
Previously instructions advised voters to choose 5,3,2 “only” — meaning the maximum number had to be check marked.
“Per legal advise of the Acting Attorney General, we re-worded the instruction and also per advice, there’s no constitutional provision or statute mandating voters to vote for the exact number of candidates,” said Kiluwe.
