A constitutional referendum was held in the Northern Mariana Islands on 2 November 2010, alongside the election for the islands' representative to the United States House of Representatives. Voters were asked whether they approved of three proposed amendments to the constitution. All three were rejected.
One of the three proposals was for the government to issue bonds to pay for the country's pension scheme.[1] It would involve adding a new section to chapter X of the constitution:[1]
The second amendment was to set in law the financing of compensation paid to residents for land expropriation.[2] This would involve amending subsection g of section 5 (Chapter XI) of the constitution:[2]
| width=50% | Original text | width=50% | Proposed text |
|---|---|---|---|
| The corporation shall receive all moneys from the public lands except those from lands in which freehold interest has been transferred to another agency of government pursuant to section 5(b), and shall transfer these moneys after the end of the fiscal year to the Marianas Public Land Trust except that the corporation shall retain the amount necessary to meet reasonable expenses of administration and management, land surveying, homestead development, and any other expenses reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of its functions. The annual budget of the corporation shall be submitted to the legislature for information purposes only. | The corporation shall receive all moneys from the public lands except those from lands in which freehold interest has been transferred to another agency of government pursuant to section 5(b), and shall transfer these moneys after the end of the fiscal year to the Marianas Public Land Trust except that the corporation shall retain the amount necessary to meet reasonable expenses of administration and management, land surveying, homestead development, and any other expenses reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of its functions
|
The third amendment concerned limiting a rise in pension payments to the level of secured financing.[3] It proposed adding a new subsection c to Chapter III, section of the constitution:[3]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 3,376 | 43.42 |
| Against | 4,400 | 56.58 |
| Invalid/blank votes | – | |
| Total | 7,776 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 16,477 | |
| align=left colspan=3 | Source: Direct Democracy |
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 3,228 | 43.22 |
| Against | 4,472 | 56.78 |
| Invalid/blank votes | – | |
| Total | 7,700 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 16,477 | |
| align=left colspan=3 | Source: Direct Democracy |
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 3,716 | 48.43 |
| Against | 3,957 | 51.57 |
| Invalid/blank votes | – | |
| Total | 7,673 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 16,477 | |
| align=left colspan=3 | Source: Direct Democracy |