Bill 45-34, a piece of major election reform intended to eliminate primaries on Guam, has again failed to pass the Legislature. Discussion in session revolved around the technical ramifications of the measure. Early in session, Sen. Joe San Agustin, the bill’s author, stated that a Nov. 29 letter from the Guam Election Commission acknowledged that the understanding of a majority vote was 50 percent of votes plus one. However, San Agustin said the code of law the election commission cited made reference to all other votes except candidate elections. Elections only require a majority in terms of the most votes, San Agustin said.
Bill 45 was returned to committee during the October session in order to clarify and amend several aspects brought up on the floor.
But lawmakers continued to levy concerns during session yesterday. After a brief recess to look over the corrected Bill 45, Vice Speaker Therese Terlaje said San Agustin’s statements did not appear consistent with what was stated by the GEC.
Full Article: Election reform measure fails to pass | Guam News | postguam.com.