The American Samoan Legislature or Fono has two chambers, the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and the Senate, which has a directly elected

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

, the Governor of American Samoa. The

has 21 members, all elected for a two-year term. Fourteen of them are from single-seat districts, six are from dual-seat districts, and one is elected by a public meeting on Swain Island. The Senate has 18 members, elected for a four-year term by and from the chiefs of the islands. The

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and their deputy, the Lieutenant Governor, are elected to a four-year term with a limit of two terms as governor. Although individuals can and do affiliate with political parties, elections are held on a

non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers s ...

basis, and candidates run without party labels. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected on a shared ticket. As a

U.S. territory In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...

, American Samoa also votes to send a non-voting delegate to the

US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, from

American Samoa's at-large congressional district American Samoa's at-large congressional district encompasses the entire U.S. territorial region of American Samoa. The territory does not have a voting member of Congress but does elect a delegate who can participate in debates and vote in commi ...

. The official head of state is the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. While American Samoans can vote in party primaries, they cannot vote in the general presidential election.

Latest elections

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, incumbent delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives Amata Coleman Radewagen won re-election to a fourth term with 83.3 percent of the votes. Also in

, Lieutenant Governor

Lemanu Peleti Mauga Lemanu Palepoi Sialegā Mauga (born January 1, 1949) is an American Samoan politician and the 8th governor of American Samoa since January 3, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Mauga served as a senator in the American Samoa Senate, where he ...

was elected governor, replacing the term-limited

Lolo Matalasi Moliga Lolo Letalu Matalasi (born August 12, 1947) is an American Samoan politician, educator, and businessman. He served as the 7th Governor of American Samoa, from 2013 to 2021. Early life and education Moliga was born in Taʻū, Manu'a, American ...

. In

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, a referendum seeking to amend the local constitution, and give the legislature the authority to override the governor's veto instead of the U.S. Secretary of Interior as happens now, was defeated.

References

External links

Adam Carr's Election Archives

Report on Radio New Zealand
about the 2006 General Election * {{US-election-stub

Latest elections

See also

References

External links