Of the total registered number of voters during the Nov. 8, 2016 general election, female voters outnumbered male voters, and the highest number of registered voters were those in the 18- 34 age group, according to Election Office preliminary data.

The data does not provide gender and the age group when it comes to the actual number of voters who cast ballots last year, when electors went to the polls to vote during the gubernatorial, congressional and local House of Representative races.

Even data in previous election years does not provide this information.

But the 2016 election data does contai the age and gender of registered voters by district and village. Of the 17,296 total number of registered voters, 9,294 of them were female and 8,002 were male.

The largest age group of registered voters is 18-34 years old with a total of 8,351; followed by 3,843 in the 35-49 age group; 3,032 in the 50- 64 age group, and just over 2,000 who are 65 years old and older.

In past elections including last year, candidates for public office concentrated their campaign efforts on younger voters, sending out their youth group committees to villages, and even holding youth rallies.

According to Election Office data, Tualauta County has the highest number of registered voters at 3,693 — with 2,033 females and 1,660 males; followed by Maoputasi County (which has five separate districts) at 3,507 — comprised of 1,911 females and 1,596 males; Ituau County has a total of 2,264 — with 1,227 females and 1,037 males.

Tualauta county has the highest number of registered voters in the 18-35 age group with 2,105; followed by Maoputasi county at 1,615; and Ituau at 1,123.

Nu’uuli village has the highest number of registered voters totaling 1,717 — of which 926 are female and 791are male; followed by Leone (which makes up Fofo County) with 1,306 — 721 females and 585 males; Tafuna at 1,193 with 693 females and 500 males; and Pago Pago with 1,127 — 610 females and 517 males.

Not surprising, the smallest number of registered voters goes to Swains Island, with five females and five males.

VOTES CAST

Of the total number of registered voters in 2016 — 17,296 — the Election Office data shows that only 12,069 votes were cast or 69.78%

Rounding up the top three counties with the highest number of votes cast was Maoputasi County 2,537; followed by Tualauta with 2,376 and Ituau with 1,523.

Specific breakdown final data of the 2016 election will be submitted to the Commerce Department to be included in the annual American Samoa Statistic Year Book.

Other Election Office information in the preliminary report shows there is always a drop in the number of votes cast compared to the number of registered voters, and there are always more registered female voters than their male counterparts. The Election Office data included in the report spans the years beginning from 1984-2016.

For example, in the 2014 election there were 16,780 registered voters — with 7,771 males and 9,009 females. However, only 10,120 votes — or 60% — were cast that election year.

Of interest is that in the “1984 election” there were 10,406 registered voters — 5,028 males and 5,378 females. However only 8,608 votes were cast.

Election data is available at the Election Office in Tafuna while the latest - 2015 American Samoa Statistical Yearbook can be viewed online: www.doc.as.gov