At Stake in this Election:  

• Position(s) and institution name: Senate of Northern Mariana Islands, 6 out of 9 total seats.  

• Elections for Governor and the House of Representatives of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for a non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives are happening concurrently. 

Government Structure: [UN HoG/HoS, IPU, etc.] 

• Chief of State: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025)  

• Head of Government: Governor David M. APATANG (since 24 July 2025))  

• Assembly: Bicameral Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature consisting of the Senate with 9 members and a House of Representatives with 20 members. 

Electoral System:    

• The President of the United States of America serves as the Chief of State of the Northern Mariana Islands. The President is elected through a majority and serves a 4-year term, with the possibility of serving a second term. 

• The Governor is elected by securing an absolute majority of the vote. If no candidate has an absolute majority after the Commonwealth Election Commission certifies the results, a runoff election will be held 14 days after the results from the first round are certified. The Governor serves a 4-year term. 

• The 9 members of the Senate are elected by plurality vote in three multi-member constituencies. They are elected to 4-year terms, with one-third or two-thirds of seats renewed every two years. 

• All 20 members of the House of Representatives are elected by plurality vote from seven election districts. They are elected to 2-year terms.  

Last Election: 

In the last Senate election, of the three seats up for election, an Independent candidate won 1 seat and the Democratic Party candidate won 2 seats.   

Information for Voters: 

Important dates for the general election, details on polling places, and voter registration lookup can be found on the Commonwealth Election Commission website. (In English) 

Key Deadlines:  

• Candidate filing deadline: August 5, 2026 

• Voter registration deadline: September 4, 2026 

Main Parties:  

• Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Republican Party  

• Leader: James ADA 

• Seats won in the last election: 0 seats out of 3 that were up for election 

• Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Democratic Party 

• Leader: Ana Terlaje PICKELSIMER 

• Seats won in the last election: 2 seats out of 3 that were up for election 

Independent candidates are also contesting the elections. In the last election, an independent candidate won 1 of 3 seats that were up for election. 

Country Context: 

• Population: 43,541 (2025 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 18,521 (2026 est.) 

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: 0.57 (2025)* 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Electoral Democracy (2025)* 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.938, Very high, Rank 17 (2025)* 

*Listed scores cover all of the United States of America   

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 20,507 (2025 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980 by the United States of America 

• Gender Quota:  No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 3 out of 20 (15%) in the House of Representatives and 2 out of 9 (22%) in the Senate  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 19.1 (2025)* 

*Listed scores cover all of the United States of America 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 July 2009 by the United States of America  

• Projected population with a disability: 6,967 (2025 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• ElectionJudgments: No