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Number of registered voters drops compared to previous midterm elections

American Samoa Election Office photo
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Just over 15,500 registered voters are on the final voter roll for the Nov. 6, 2018 midterm elections.

The final tally is a drop compared to previous midterm elections, in which electors cast ballots for the Congressional and local House of Representatives races.

Chief Election Officer Dr. Lealofi Uiagalelei said about 200 new voters registered by the deadline which was  4:30p.m., Oct. 9th.

“Overall total of those who will be voting for this year's election is 15,541,” he said yesterday morning responding to Samoa News inquiries, adding that this is a “big drop from the other midterm elections. Usually the number is around 16,000 for midterms.”

As previously reported by Samoa News, the number of registered voters usually spikes during the major election, which is the gubernatorial race held every four years. For example, in the 2016 general election, the total voter roll was about 17,296, according to the American Samoa Statistical Yearbook 2016 released last year.

The 2016 Yearbook data also shows that total registered voters for the 2014 midterm elections was 16,780 and 16,124 for the midterm elections in 2010. However, the count for midterm election voters in 2016 had the numbers way down at 14,283.

According to the Election Office, the final list of registered voters for the 2018 midterm elections is not available for all candidates seeking public office this year.

Of the total voter roll for 2018, the highest number of registered voters — 3,187 electors — is at District 15-Tualauta,  the most populous county in American Samoa, according to Election Office data, which also shows that Tafuna has the most registered voters at 1,021.

The smallest number of registered voters is Swains Island with ten, according to the data, which provides the specific number of registered voters for each village.

Uiagalelei is expected to announce in the coming days the location of polling stations, which are usually at church halls and guest houses.

With the voter roll confirmed, Uiagalelei issued an advance call urging all registered electors to go to the polls. Besides the Congressional and local House of Representatives races, electors will also vote on the proposed amendment to the local Constitution, giving the Legislature the authority to override the governor’s veto, instead of the US Secretary of Interior, as it stands now.

OTHER ELECTION ISSUES

•     Local absentee voting is ongoing for electors who are registered voters but will be off island on Election Day. As of yesterday, total Local Absentee was 168.

•     American Samoa electors who have already registered but serving in the US Armed Forces or attending college off-island, the deadline to request mail-in absentee ballots is 4:30p.m., Oct. 23rd. The Election Office has so far received 27 requests for absentee ballots - 23 from those in the military and 4 from students attending college. All 27 absentee ballots have been sent out and only three have been mailed back.  Requests for absentee forms can be made at  <americansamoaelectionoffice.org>

•     Last day for candidates to withdraw from the midterm elections due to ill heath is 4:30p.m., Oct. 26; however, the Election Office says the registration fee is “not refundable”.