The Guam Election Commission will need more money to get through the current fiscal year which ends September 30.
GEC Executive Director Maria Pangelinan said her office will file a supplemental budget request with the legislature tomorrow seeking an additional $600,000. The funds are needed to cover the cost of the primary election and other expenses.
Meanwhile, candidate packets are now available for pickup at the Guam Election Commission, signaling the official start of the 2020 election season.
The packets have been available since Friday morning and as of this afternoon nearly 40 packets had been picked by incumbents running for re-election as well as newcomers like media personalities Chris Barnett and Ray Gibson who both picked up applications to run for senator.
Candidates can start turning in their packets by April 21.
However, Pangelinan cautions that they will only accept completed applications that have the required number of signatures endorsing the candidate.
“For senators, it’s 250. For most mayors and vice mayors it’s 100, but for the smaller villages, the threshold is lower. For the congressman or congresswoman it’s 500,” Pangelinan said.
Completed candidate application packets must be turned in by June 30.
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