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Election Day: Exercise your right by voting. It’s your voice. Go Vote

American Samoa Election Office
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Chief Election Officer Dr. Lealaofi Uiagalelei, yesterday reminded all registered electors in the 2020 general election that today, Nov. 3rd — to “exercise your right by voting. It’s your voice. Go Vote.”

Electors will cast ballots for the Gubernatorial Race, Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives; the 20-elected members of the local House.

The 41 polling stations territory-wide open at 6a.m, up to 6p.m.

Election officials on Tutuila are expected to head out early this morning with ballot boxes escorted by police to their respective polling station, to arrive before 5:30a.m.

“Polling stations are all identified and prepared for voters to cast their vote,” Uiagalelei told Samoa News yesterday.

Voters are reminded that there is only one ballot covering the three political races — starting with the Governor/ LT. Governor; then the local House of Representatives; and the Delegate to Congress.

On the ballot, the elector is asked to: “Place a mark X or √ inside the circle corresponding to the names of the candidates of your choice.”

With the use of one-paper ballot, the Election Office said yesterday that all local and overseas absentee ballots will be sorted to the polling stations and counted there — and this was the same procedure in the 2018 mid-term election.

Provided by the Election Office, shown here is the sample ballot of the Nov. 3, 2020 general election, in which  all three political races are placed on one-ballot. This is the sample for District #1. [photo: Election Office]

As of Nov. 1st, an overall total of 1,365 electors have cast ballots for the overseas — or outside — and local absentee ballots, according to the latest data provided by the Election Office yesterday morning.

Data shows that as of Oct. 29th, a total of 701 absentee ballots have been cast for overseas, or outside — absentee voters, including 527 under the COVID-19 absentee designation, or active voters stranded off island; 153 for military personnel; fifteen from American Samoa students attending college off island; and six from ASG employees working in the US.

Also as of Nov. 1st, a total of 664 ballots have been cast for local absentee with 266 ballots from voters with a disability, 142 ballots for those who travel off island and won’t be on island on Election Day and 256 for poll workers/officials.  

Swains Island voters will cast ballots at the Election Office for the Gubernatorial and Congressional races.

The Election Office as well as the Governor’s Office have called for a peaceful election in American Samoa. The Election Office, as in past election years, will be working closely with the Department of Public to ensure a safe and peaceful election day.

Manu’a polling stations are expected to close early, or as soon as all registered voters cast their ballots and this is expected to occur between 2-3 p.m. The ballot counting process then gets underway with the results called into the Election Office while the election officials return back to Tutuila with the ballot boxes.

As in past election years, poll watchers for candidates will probably call up others to relay to them the results.

On Tutuila, once the polls are closed, election officials at the various polling places will then begin the process of counting the ballots at their respective stations. The results are then called into the Election Office and election officials make their way back to the Election Office.

Election results will be broadcast live from the Election Office on KVZK-TV once the polls are closed and continue throughout the evening when results start coming in. The results will also at the same time be distributed to other news media outlets in the territory.

Besides village pulenu’u, police will also be present at polling stations as well as the Election Office in Tafuna.

Ili’ili village mayor poses for Samoa News, along with the sign “Vote Here” just tas he polls opened today at 6a.m at the Ili’ili polling station for the Nov. 3rd general election. [photo: FS]

Samoa News wishes American Samoa a safe and peaceful Election Day 2020 and “Go vote”.