Absentee voting stirs debate in Palau ahead of election

Author: Olkeriil Eoghan Ngirudelsang

(Koror, Palau) With four months to go until the general election, the issue of absentee voting has once again come to the fore. In a recent interview, presidential candidate Tommy Remengesau stressed the importance of voting, saying, “This is a right that every citizen of Palau should exercise.” He added, “Voting is vital because Palau is their future; one day, they will come back and it is their constitutional right.”

Remengesau made these comments in response to questions about his stance on off-island voting. A WCTC employee observing the election noted, “Palauans in Palau bear the burden of our leaders’ decisions, but off-island votes often determine state and national elections. These voters do not experience life in Palau firsthand, but still influence key decisions.”

Many have noted that Remengesau and fellow candidate Soulangel Whipps II have held most of their campaign events outside of Palau. These events have taken place in the continental United States, Guam, and Saipan, where many Palauan voters reside. Some Palauans believe that off-island voting should be stopped, while others advocate for high-security electronic voting, similar to the banking industry. “Voting should be digital, and we should have electronic voting with the same level of security as the banking industry,” said one Palauan, who spoke on a pseudonym. snow White, Commenting on a YouTube video of a press conference held in Remengesau by local journalists and candidates.

Campaigning outside the island is more frequent than on it. Notably, both Remengesau and Whipps held campaign events in Portland, Oregon, on the same day and at the same time to celebrate Palau President’s Day. Whipps plans to hold campaign events in the Bay Area on July 26 and 27, according to social media flyers, while Remengesau recently returned from Hawaii and other states.

related