 |
|---|
| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of American Samoa |
General elections was held in American Samoa on 4 November 2008, coinciding with the 2008 United States general elections.
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Samoa. Its location is centered around 14.2710° S, 170.1322° W. It is on the eastern border of the International Date Line, while independent Samoa is west of it.
Incumbent governor Togiola Tulafono sought re-election. The gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2008.
Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono is an American Samoan politician and lawyer who served as the 56th Governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as lieutenant governor, taking this position on January 3, 1997.
Ten term incumbent Delegate Eni Faleomavaega, a Democrat, sought an 11th term. [1] He was challenged by Republican Aumua Amata Coleman and Independent Rosie F. Tago Lancaster. [2]
Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr. was an American Samoan politician who served as the territory's lieutenant governor and congressional delegate.
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.
There were 54 candidates vying for the 20 elected seats in the American Samoa House of Representatives. [2] All seats in the House are up for election in 2008. Every incumbent member of the House sought re-election, except for Gaoteote P. Gaoteote who is retiring. [2] The only member who ran unopposed was Rep. Agaoleatu Charlie Tautolo. [2]
The American Samoa House of Representatives is the lower house of the American Samoa Fono. The House consists of 21 representatives serving two-year terms, with 20 popularly elected members, and one representative elected by a public meeting on Swains Island.
| District 1 Tau | District 2 Ofu/ Olosega | District 3 Vaifanua |
|---|---|---|
| Mapu Puaopea F. Paopao 260 | Faafetai Iaulualo 340 | Meleagi Suitona Chapman 79 |
| Aloalii Maui 294 | Fetui Fetui Jr. 360 |
A referendum to allow the legislative override of the governor’s vetoes was on the ballot on November 4, 2008. [3]
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new law. In some countries, it is synonymous with a plebiscite or a vote on a ballot question.
A veto – is the power to unilaterally stop an official action, especially the enactment of legislation. A veto can be absolute, as for instance in the United Nations Security Council, whose permanent members can block any resolution, or it can be limited, as in the legislative process of the United States, where a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate may override a Presidential veto of legislation. A veto may give power only to stop changes, like the US legislative veto mentioned before, or to also adopt them, like the legislative veto of the Indian President, which allows him to propose amendments to bills returned to the Parliament for reconsideration.
A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election, and may be a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball used to record decisions made by voters.
The American Samoa Fono passed the proposal giving itself the authority to override a veto by the Governor of American Samoa. [3] The proposal was then submitted to the Governor's office to be forwarded to the American Samoa election office as a referendum. [3] The referendum will ask voters to agree to amend the Constitution of American Samoa to give the Fono, rather than the United States Secretary of the Interior, the power to override a veto by the Governor. [3]
The Legislature of American Samoa or Fono is the territorial legislature of American Samoa. Like most state and territorial legislatures of the United States, it is a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives and a Senate. The legislature is located in Fagatogo along Pago Pago harbor.
The Constitution of American Samoa is the constitution that defines the government of American Samoa.
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The Department of the Interior in the United States is responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources; it oversees such agencies as the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey, and the National Park Service. The Secretary also serves on and appoints the private citizens on the National Park Foundation board. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The U.S. Department of the Interior should not be confused with the Ministries of the Interior as used in many other countries. Ministries of the Interior in these other countries correspond primarily to the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. Cabinet and secondarily to the Department of Justice.
Currently, a veto can only be overridden by the United States Secretary of the Interior, who is based in Washington D.C. [3] Any veto powers bestowed on the Fono would require a two-thirds majority in both the American Samoa House of Representatives and the American Samoa Senate before becoming law. [3]
The legislative over-ride proposal was defeated narrowly in the referendum, thereby maintaining the veto powers to the United States Secretary of the Interior. [3]
Summary of the 4 November 2008 American Samoan legislative override referendum results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| No | 6,159 | 50.1 |
| Yes | 6,137 | 49.9 |
| Total valid votes | 12,296 | 100.0 |
| Source: American Samoa Election Office | ||
Politics of American Samoa takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic dependency, whereby the Governor is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. Its constitution was ratified 1966 and came into effect 1967. Executive power is discharged by the governor and the lieutenant governor. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the legislature. The party system is a based on the United States party system. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The Hawaii State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Hawaii State House of Representatives, with 51 representatives, and an upper house, the 25-member Hawaii State Senate. There are a total of 76 representatives in the legislature, each representing single member districts across the islands. The powers of the legislature are granted under Article III of the Constitution of Hawaii. The legislature convenes at the Hawaii State Capitol building in the state capital of Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.
Roy Asberry Cooper III is an American politician and attorney serving as the 75th Governor of North Carolina since January 1, 2017. Prior to his governorship, Cooper had served as the elected Attorney General of North Carolina since 2001. Before that, he served in the General Assembly in both the North Carolina House of Representatives and the North Carolina Senate. Cooper is a member of the Democratic Party.
The American Samoan Legislature or Fono has two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate with a directly elected head of government, the Governor of American Samoa. The House of Representatives has 21 members, elected for a two-year term, 14 in single-seat districts, 6 from dual-seat districts and 1 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 and their deputy, the Lieutenant Governor are elected on a 4-year term.
The politics of Tokelau takes place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency. The head of state of Tokelau is Queen Elizabeth II in right of her Realm of New Zealand, who is represented by an Administrator. The monarch is hereditary, the Administrator is appointed by the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Elections in Oregon are all held using a Vote by Mail (VBM) system. This means that all registered voters receive their ballots via postal delivery and can vote from their homes. A state Voters’ Pamphlet is mailed to every household in Oregon about three weeks before each statewide election. It includes information about each measure and candidate in the upcoming election.
The government of American Samoa is defined under the Constitution of American Samoa.
The United States House of Representatives election in American Samoa, which will contest American Samoa lone At-large congressional district, was held on November 2, 2010. The non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives is elected for two-year terms; whoever is elected will serve in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011 until January 3, 2013.
Tuanaitau Fa'atamala Tuia was an American Samoan politician and the longest-serving member of the American Samoan territorial legislature, the Fono, in history. Tuia served a combined 49 years in the Fono, including thirty years in the American Samoa House of Representatives and seventeen years in the Senate.
A constitutional referendum was held in American Samoa on November 2, 2010, on the same day of the United States House of Representatives election and American Samoan general election.
Tufele Faatoia Liamatua, also spelled Tufele Li'amatua, was an American Samoan politician, businessman and paramount chief. He served as the first elected Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa under former Governor Peter Tali Coleman from 1978 to 1985.
The 2012 American Samoa gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, for the open gubernatorial seat of American Samoa. The election coincides with the larger United States presidential elections, United States general elections and the American Samoa general election. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote on November 6, a runoff election was held on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, which was won by Independent candidate Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga.
General elections were held in American Samoa on 6 November 2012, alongside a referendum on giving the Fono veto power over the Governor. Voters chose a new Governor and Lieutenant Governor, twenty members for the American Samoa House of Representatives, and the Delegate to United States House of Representatives. Incumbent Governor Togiola Tulafono was term-limited and could not seek re-election.
The United States House of Representatives election in American Samoa, which contests American Samoa lone At-large congressional district, was held on November 6, 2012. The non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives is elected for two-year terms; the winner, incumbent Rep. Eni Faleomavaega of the Democratic Party, will serve in the 113th Congress from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2015. Faleomavaega has held the seat since 1989.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Oregon on November 4, 2014. The incumbent governor and U.S. senator, and all incumbent members of the U.S. Congress won reelection. Elections were also held for both houses of the state legislature, for the Commissioner of Labor, and for several statewide ballot measures. Primary elections were held on May 20, 2014.
A constitutional referendum was held in American Samoa on 4 November 2014. The proposed amendment to the constitution would allow the Fono to override vetoes by the Governor.
The 2016 American Samoa gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, coinciding with the 2016 United States presidential elections and other US elections.
Brett R. Lindstrom is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2012, he unsuccessfully ran for a Nebraska seat in the U.S. Congress, losing to incumbent Lee Terry in the Republican primary election. In 2014, he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, representing an Omaha district.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives election in American Samoa was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, to elect the non-voting Delegate to the United States House of Representatives from American Samoa's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the midterm elections for other federal and territorial offices, including the larger American Samoa general election, as well as the nationwide 2018 United States House of Representatives elections and the 2018 United States general elections.
