American Samoa - Register as a Voter

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Procedure

1. You may register as voter by going to any district election office during business hours and present your government issued ID containing a photographic likeness of you.
2. You must also complete an application in the form of an affidavit. The affidavit must contain the following information:
   1. name;
   2. Social Security number, if any;
   3. date of birth;
   4. age;
   5. residence;
   6. place of current employment, if any;
   7. that the residence stated in the affidavit is not simply because of the persons presence in the Territory but that the residence was acquired with the intent to make American Samoa the persons legal residence with all the accompanying obligations therein; and
   8. that the person is a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national.
3. You must swear to the truthfulness of all the information you provided in the application form.
4. If the election officer finds your application satisfying you shall be asked to affix your signature in the affidavit and the election officer shall affix his signature; or he shall enter unable to sign and the reason in the space for the applicants signature.
5. Once your application is approved, your name will be entered into the general district register.

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Required Documents

• Completed application form
• Government issued ID containing a photographic likeness of you

Office Locations & Contacts

American Samoa Election Office
Office: 684.699.3570 / 684.699.3571
Fax: 684.699.3574

Mailing Address:
P.O. BOX 3970
PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA 96799

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 04:00 p.m.
Closed Saturday and Sunday & Federal/Government Holidays

Website

Eligibility

You may register as a voter if you have reached the age of 18 years, or you will have reached that age prior to the date of the next election, and is otherwise qualified to register. You may register in the district in which you resides. No person may register or vote in any other district than that in which he resides except as provided in Chapter 2, section 6.0220 of the American Samoa Election Reform Act of 1977

Rules for determining residency:

In determining residency in the Territory, spouses may treat themselves separately from one another. The following rules shall determine residency for Territory and district purposes:

• The residency of a person is that place in which his habitation is fixed, and to which, whenever he is absent, he has the intention to return.
• A person does not gain residency in any district into which he comes without the present intention of establishing his permanent dwelling place within that district.
• If a person resides with his family in one place, and does business in another, the former is his place of residence; but any person having a family, who establishes his dwelling place other than with his family, with the intention of remaining there shall be considered a resident where he has established his dwelling place.
• The mere intention to acquire a new residence without physical presence at that place does not establish residency, neither does mere physical presence without the con-current present intention to establish that place as his residence.
• A person does not gain or lose a residency solely by reason of his presence or absence while employed in the service of the United States or of this Territory, or while a student of an institution of learning, or while kept in an institution or asylum, or while confined in prison.
• The status of a persons primary matai obligations is a factor in determining district residency. However, matai obligations alone may not sustain a finding of district residency absent other evidence which, in connection with evidence of matai obligations, is sufficient to sustain the intent of this section.
• A person loses his residence in this Territory if he votes in an election held elsewhere by absentee ballot or in person.
• The term of residence is computed by including the day on which the persons residence commences and by excluding the day of election.
• In case of question, final determination of residence shall be made by the election officer subject to appeal to the board of registration under sections 6.0201 through 6.0203, 6.0225, and 6.0230 through 6.0233.

Fees

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Validity

Once registered, you are entitled to vote at any election and to be listed upon the appropriate general register and district list.

Removal from the register

Your name may be remove from the register if you fail to cast your vote during the current election and at the preceding election. For this purpose, to vote means the depositing of the ballot in the ballot box whether the ballot is blank or later rejected for any reason. In the case of absentee voting by mail by qualified electors, to vote means timely mailing the absentee ballot to the Chief Election Officer whether or not the ballot was counted.

You can have your name restored by going to the election officer and reregistering. You can also submit an application by mail or otherwise under procedures established by the Chief Election Officer. The election officer shall compare the signature with the signature of the qualified elector as previously registered, and if found by him not to be similar, he may require further proof. The names of all qualified electors shall be reentered in the register.

Documents to Use

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Sample Documents

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Processing Time

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Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M".

Instructions

Deadline of registration: At 4:30 p.m. on the 30th day prior to each election (but if that day is a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, then at 4:30 p.m. on the first working day immediately following), the general register shall be closed to registration until after the election.

Required Information

• name;
• Social Security number, if any;
• date of birth;
• age;
• residence;
• place of current employment, if any;

Need for the Document

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Information which might help

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Other uses of the Document/Certificate

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e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• American Samoa Election Office:

http://www.americansamoaelectionoffice.org/registration%20requirements/registration_requirements.htm

• American Samoa Bar Association:

http://www.asbar.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=208&Itemid=172

• American Samoa Election Reform Act of 1977:

http://www.asbar.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=207&Itemid=172

Others

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