Voting Rights Guide: American Samoa (AS)
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Voting Rights Guide: American Samoa (AS)

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Voting Rights Guide: American Samoa (AS)

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This article has been corrected. 1 correction — see Corrections at the end of this article.

IMPORTANT: Voting laws change frequently. Always verify information with official government sources before acting. This guide was last updated: 2026-09-07. If you find an error, report it immediately.

Jurisdiction Type: Territory (unincorporated and unorganized)

Table of Contents

  1. Your Representation and Your 2026 Ballot
  2. Key Dates for November 3, 2026
  3. Voter Registration
  4. Birth Certificates
  5. Proof of Citizenship Documents
  6. How to Vote
  7. Voting Laws & Legal Resources
  8. If You Are Denied the Right to Vote
  9. Resources & Contacts

Your Representation and Your 2026 Ballot

American Samoa is represented in Congress differently from a state, and the difference is not a technicality. State it plainly before anything else:

  • One non-voting Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. The Delegate is elected

at-large by the voters of American Samoa, serves a two-year term, and may serve on and vote in House committees. The Delegate **cannot vote on final passage of legislation on the House floor.** Whether Delegates may also vote in the Committee of the Whole has changed with which party controls the House; the floor-vote exclusion has not.

  • No U.S. Senator. American Samoa has no representation in the Senate of any kind.
  • No vote for President. American Samoa casts no electoral votes, and residents do not

vote for President in the November general election. The political parties do run caucuses in presidential years to select delegates to their national conventions, but that is a party nominating process, not the general election.

What is on the November 3, 2026 ballot

  • Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives (at-large, two-year term).
  • All 20 popularly elected seats in the American Samoa House of Representatives (the

lower house of the Fono), from 17 representative districts.

What is not on the ballot

  • Governor and Lieutenant Governor. These are four-year offices last filled in 2024;

the next gubernatorial election is in 2028.

  • The American Samoa Senate. Its 18 senators are selected by county councils from among

matai title holders, in accordance with Samoan custom. They are not chosen by popular vote in any year. The American Samoa Senate is the only legislative chamber in the United States or its territories that is not popularly elected.

  • The Swains Island delegate to the House of Representatives, who is chosen at a public

meeting on Swains Island rather than at the polls.

Possible runoff. American Samoa has historically held a runoff about two weeks after the general election, between the top two finishers, when no candidate for a territory-wide office wins a majority. If that happens in the Delegate race, the runoff date would be Tuesday, November 17, 2026. The Election Office 2026 Election Calendar does not list a runoff date, and this guide could not confirm the current statutory trigger from primary law. Treat the runoff as possible but unconfirmed, and call the Election Office if the Delegate race is close.

Key Dates for November 3, 2026

Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — polls open 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Last day to register or re-register: Monday, October 5, 2026, 4:30 p.m. (in person) Off-island absentee ballot request deadline: Monday, October 19, 2026, 4:30 p.m. Walk-in absentee voting at the Election Office: opened September 8, 2026; runs to 4:30 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2026 Assistance program for voters with disabilities begins: October 7, 2026 Absentee ballots must be RECEIVED by: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — not postmarked, received

Source: American Samoa Election Office, 2026 Election Calendar of Events.

Voter Registration

Same-Day Registration: NO — American Samoa has no same-day or Election Day registration. You must be registered before the register closes.

Registration Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026, 4:30 p.m. — **receipt governs, not postmark.** A.S.C.A. 6.0222 closes the general register at 4:30 p.m. on the 30th day before each election; in 2026 that day falls on a Sunday, so the deadline rolls forward to the next working day. The Election Office 2026 Election Calendar lists October 5, 2026. Photo ID Required to Register: Yes Accepted IDs: identification issued by a governmental agency containing a photographic likeness of the applicant (A.S.C.A. 6.0214). Absentee registrants must also send a valid U.S. passport or a birth certificate, and a Social Security card or an official Social Security Administration notice showing the number.

Registration Links

Notes: American Samoa does not offer online voter registration, and residents on-island cannot register by mail. You must present yourself in person during business hours to an election officer, who examines you under oath and takes your application in the form of a sworn affidavit (A.S.C.A. 6.0214).

The one exception is registration in absentia. Absent uniformed services voters, their spouses and dependents, and overseas voters may register without appearing in person, by emailing the completed form and supporting documents to Info@eo.as.gov. Absent uniformed services members who list American Samoa as their home of record or legal domicile may register this way for local elections as well as for the Delegate race; other overseas voters may register in absentia only for the Delegate election.

To qualify to vote, you must:

  • Be either a United States citizen or a United States national (see Proof of

Citizenship Documents below — this is not the same test a state applies);

  • Be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day;
  • Have lived in American Samoa for a total of at least 2 years; and
  • Be a bona fide resident of your election district for at least 1 year before the election.

You register in the district where you reside, and you may not vote in any other district.

Disqualification and restoration. You are disqualified while under guardianship or adjudged non compos mentis, or on conviction of a felony. A disqualified voter may re-register once civil rights have been restored, or after maintaining good behavior for 2 years from the date of conviction or release from prison, whichever is later.

Birth Certificates

A birth certificate may be needed to prove identity or status, or to obtain other documents.

Issuing Agency: American Samoa Government Department of Homeland Security, Office of Vital Statistics Fee: $5 direct from the agency; $15 first copy and $10 for additional copies through VitalChek, plus processing fees Standard Processing Time: not published — call the office at (684) 633-1405 or (684) 633-1406 Expedited Option: available through VitalChek

How to Request

  • Request Online
  • By Mail: American Samoa Government Department of Homeland Security, Office of Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 6894, Pago Pago, AS 96799

Notes: Money orders payable to Office of Vital Statistics/ASG. Personal checks are not accepted. ID verification is required. Records are available from 1900.

Proof of Citizenship Documents

American Samoa does not run a documentary-proof-of-citizenship registration system. The mechanisms several states adopted in 2025 and 2026 — requiring citizenship papers at registration, issuing a federal-only ballot to voters who cannot produce them, or checking citizenship on the back end after registration — do not exist here. There is no federal-only ballot in American Samoa and no citizenship-verification program that retroactively suspends a registration. What American Samoa asks for instead is a sworn affidavit and a government photo ID.

Accepted Documents

For in-person registration, the statutory requirement is a government-issued photo ID plus a sworn affidavit that includes your Social Security number, date of birth, age, residence, employment, intent to make American Samoa your legal residence, and a statement that you are a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national.

For registration in absentia (military and overseas), the Election Office asks for copies of:

  • A valid U.S. passport, or a birth certificate; and
  • A valid photo ID issued by a government agency; and
  • A Social Security card, or an official notice from the Social Security Administration

identifying your Social Security number.

How to Obtain Citizenship Proof

People born in American Samoa are eligible for a U.S. passport. The passport is issued with an endorsement stating that the bearer is a national and not a citizen of the United States. Apply through the U.S. passport system; a certified American Samoa birth certificate from the Office of Vital Statistics (above) is the underlying document.

For US Citizens Abroad

U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals abroad register and request a ballot with the Federal Post Card Application through FVAP. No separate proof of citizenship is filed with the FPCA in American Samoa; you attest under penalty of perjury that you are a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national.

U.S. national status — what it means for your vote

**People born in American Samoa are United States nationals, not United States citizens, by birth.** This comes from federal statute, 8 U.S.C. 1408. American Samoa is the only inhabited U.S. territory where this is so: federal statutes confer citizenship at birth in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.

In American Samoa this does not stop you voting. Territorial law expressly qualifies both citizens and nationals: the registration affidavit asks you to swear that you are a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national.

Outside American Samoa it does. Every U.S. state and the District of Columbia requires United States citizenship to register to vote. A U.S. national who is not a citizen cannot lawfully register or vote in a state, and the consequences are not hypothetical. As of September 2026, nine American Samoan residents of Whittier, Alaska are facing felony voter misconduct, perjury and unsworn falsification charges for marking themselves as U.S. citizens on Alaska voter registration forms — in some cases, they say, after being told by DMV staff to check that box because the form has no option for a national. If you move from American Samoa to a state, do not check a citizenship box you cannot support. Ask the state or county election office in writing what a U.S. national should do, and keep the answer.

Becoming a citizen. A U.S. national may apply for naturalization under 8 U.S.C. 1436 after residing in a State for at least three months. Citizenship acquired that way carries full voting rights in the state where you then live.

The status is contested and the law is moving. In Fitisemanu v. United States, the Tenth Circuit held in 2021 that the Fourteenth Amendment Citizenship Clause does not confer birthright citizenship in American Samoa; the Supreme Court declined review in 2022. On June 30, 2026 the Supreme Court decided Trump v. Barbara, No. 25-365, holding that the Citizenship Clause guarantees citizenship to children born on U.S. soil regardless of their parents’ immigration status. That case did not decide the territorial question. Defense counsel in the Alaska prosecutions argue its reasoning reaches American Samoa; Alaska disputes it; no court had resolved the point as of September 2026. Separately, an executive order signed August 6, 2026 directs federal agencies not to recognise citizenship for people born in a U.S. territory where citizenship is not conferred by federal statute, which as things stand describes only American Samoa and Swains Island. That order is being challenged. **None of this changes the practical rule for the November 3, 2026 election: nationals may vote in American Samoa, and may not vote in a state.**

How to Vote

Voting in Person

Photo ID Required: Bring one. A.S.C.A. 6.0706 requires every voter to sign the poll book and to provide identification if a district official asks for it, and the Election Office instructs voters to bring photo ID. Do not arrive without it. Accepted IDs: a valid American Samoa voter ID card with photo, or a valid U.S. passport. If you have neither, two documents from: another government-issued photo ID, or a birth certificate. *(Reported by the U.S. Vote Foundation; this guide could not confirm the list against a published Election Office document. Confirm with the Election Office.)* Polls Open: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (A.S.C.A. 6.0701). If you are standing in line outside the entrance when the polls close, you may still vote. **You may not join the line after 6:00 p.m.** Find Your Polling Place: polling stations are assigned by village and representative district. There is no online lookup. Call the Election Office at 684-699-3570 or email Info@eo.as.gov.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Step 1: Register in person at the Election Office by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 5, 2026
  2. Step 2: Confirm your polling station with the Election Office before Election Day
  3. Step 3: Bring photo ID
  4. Step 4: Vote at your assigned polling station between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Voting by Mail

No-excuse mail voting is NOT available in American Samoa. There is no vote-by-mail system open to all voters. Voting by mail is available only to off-island absentee voters in the categories listed below, and only on request. Application Deadline: 4:30 p.m. Monday, October 19, 2026 (off-island absentee only) Ballot Return Deadline: received by 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 3, 2026 Request a Ballot: Absentee Voting – American Samoa Election Office

Voting by Absentee Ballot

Excuse Required: Yes. A.S.C.A. 6.1101 sets three categories, and **they have different deadlines and different return methods.** Find yours before you plan.

Category 1 — absent from the Territory on Election Day, ballot mailed to you. You qualify if you are:

  • Employed in the service of the U.S. Government
  • Employed in the service of the American Samoa Government
  • A student at an institution of learning
  • An absent uniformed services voter (including spouse and dependents)
  • An overseas voter voting in the election for Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives

Request window: January 1, 2026 through 4:30 p.m. Monday, October 19, 2026 (the 15th day before the election). You may request by mail, electronically, or by fax, and nominate how you want the blank ballot sent.

Category 2 — temporarily absent from the Territory on Election Day. Accepted reasons:

  • Travel for medical treatment
  • Travel for military-related assignments
  • Travel for employment-related training, conference or assignments
  • Vacation travel

Ballots are not mailed to this category. You must provide proof of travel and vote in person at the Election Office before you leave. Walk-in absentee voting opened September 8, 2026 and runs to 4:30 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2026.

Category 3 — present in the Territory but away from your district on Election Day. Accepted reasons:

  • Confinement in any hospital
  • Confinement in any public institution
  • Confinement at home because of illness or physical disability preventing you attending the polls
  • A religious belief, ruling, doctrine or standard preventing you attending the polls
  • Employment as an election official on Election Day

Request window: from the 30th day before the election to **4:30 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2026**. The Election Office assistance program for voters with disabilities and hospitalised voters begins October 7, 2026 — contact the office directly.

Absentee Ballot Application: Absentee Voting – American Samoa Election Office — download the form, complete and sign it, photograph or scan it, and email it to Info@eo.as.gov.

Ballot Return Deadline — read this twice. Under A.S.C.A. 6.1105, your reply envelope must be **received by the Chief Election Officer no later than 1:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026.** The same 1:30 p.m. receipt deadline applies whether the ballot comes by mail or is hand-delivered. **Receipt governs; a postmark does not save a late ballot,** and 1:30 p.m. is four and a half hours before the polls close. Certification of absentee ballots also closes at 1:30 p.m. that day.

Drop boxes and hand delivery. American Samoa has no ballot drop boxes. You may deliver a completed absentee ballot by hand to the Chief Election Officer at the Election Office, by the same 1:30 p.m. deadline. Hand delivery is the only way to return a ballot without relying on the mail, and given the transit times to and from the territory it is the safer option whenever you are on-island.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Step 1: Identify which of the three categories applies to you — the deadlines differ
  2. Step 2: Off-island by mail, request your ballot by 4:30 p.m. Monday, October 19, 2026
  3. Step 3: Travelling or away from your district, vote in person at the Election Office by 4:30 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2026, with proof of travel where required
  4. Step 4: Return a mailed ballot so it is physically in the Chief Election Officer hands by 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026
  5. Step 5: If you are on-island, hand-deliver rather than mail

Early Voting

American Samoa has no general early-voting period. There is no window in which any registered voter may simply turn up and vote before Election Day.

What exists instead is walk-in absentee voting at the Election Office, which is open only to voters who meet one of the absentee categories above. It opened **September 8, 2026 and runs to 4:30 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2026**. Everyone else votes at their polling station on November 3.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Step 1: Confirm you meet an absentee category — travel, confinement, religious observance, or election-day employment
  2. Step 2: Go to the American Samoa Election Office during business hours
  3. Step 3: Bring proof of travel if you are claiming a travel reason
  4. Step 4: Complete and cast your absentee ballot at the Election Office before you travel

Voting Laws & Legal Resources

American Samoa elections are governed by Title 6 of the American Samoa Code Annotated, the American Samoa Election Reform Act of 1977, and are run by the American Samoa Election Office under the Chief Election Officer. Elections are nonpartisan in practice — party labels are not used on the territorial ballot, and candidates for the Delegate race qualify by nominating petition rather than through a party primary. Nomination papers for the 2026 election were available from June 15 and had to be filed by 4:30 p.m. on September 1, 2026. There was no primary election in American Samoa in 2026.

To vote you must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national, at least 18 on Election Day, have lived in American Samoa for at least 2 years in total, and be a bona fide resident of your election district for at least 1 year. Registration is in person, under oath, with a government photo ID. Candidates for Delegate must be nominated by petitions signed by at least 300 registered voters (A.S.C.A. 6.0301).

Absentee voting is available to military members, their spouses and dependents, and overseas voters using the Federal Post Card Application. Absent uniformed services members who list American Samoa as their home of record may vote in local elections as well as for the Delegate; other overseas voters may vote only in the Delegate election.

Voting Rights Law Firms

on territorial political status, citizenship and voting rights; defense counsel in the Alaska prosecutions of American Samoan voters

litigation practice

If You Are Denied the Right to Vote

Know your rights. You have the right to vote if you are eligible. If denied, do NOT leave — ask the district officials to record a challenge.

Denied Enroute to the Polling Place

  1. Step 1: Confirm you are registered in the district where you reside
  2. Step 2: Verify you are going to the polling station for your district — voting in the wrong district is not permitted
  3. Step 3: If transportation is the problem, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683
  4. Step 4: Contact the American Samoa Election Office at 684-699-3570 for assistance

Resources:

Emergency Contacts:

  • Election Protection Hotline 1-866-687-8683 — For voting access issues and transportation problems

Denied at the Polling Place

  1. Step 1: Do not leave the polling place — stay and get help
  2. Step 2: Ask the district officials to rule on the challenge and to announce the ruling, as A.S.C.A. 6.0223 requires
  3. Step 3: If the ruling goes against you, say clearly that you are appealing to the Board of Registration — on appeal you are allowed to vote and your ballot is sealed pending the ruling
  4. Step 4: Call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683 immediately
  5. Step 5: Confirm you are at the polling station for your own district
  6. Step 6: Contact the American Samoa Election Office at 684-699-3570

Provisional Ballot: American Samoa uses a challenged ballot procedure rather than the provisional-ballot process most states run. Under A.S.C.A. 6.0223(b), any qualified elector lawfully in the polling place may challenge your right to vote, on the grounds that you are not the person you claim to be or are not entitled to vote in that district — and no other grounds. The district officials must decide the challenge immediately and announce the ruling. **If either side appeals to the Board of Registration, you are allowed to vote and your ballot is placed in a sealed envelope, to be counted or rejected according to the ruling on appeal.** Say the word “appeal” out loud and do not leave without voting.

Resources:

Emergency Contacts:

  • Election Protection Hotline 1-866-687-8683 — If told you are not on the voter roll or denied voting access

Mail Ballot Denied or Not Received

  1. Step 1: Contact the American Samoa Election Office at 684-699-3570 or Info@eo.as.gov immediately — do not wait
  2. Step 2: Confirm the office has your request on file and the address it mailed to
  3. Step 3: If you are on-island, ask whether you can vote in person at the Election Office instead, or at your polling station on Election Day
  4. Step 4: Military and overseas voters should use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot through FVAP as a backup
  5. Step 5: If you are denied, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683

Resources:

Emergency Contacts:

  • Election Protection Hotline 1-866-687-8683 — For mail voting access issues

Note on curing a ballot: this guide found no published ballot-cure procedure in American Samoa — no notice-and-cure window for a missing or mismatched signature. A.S.C.A. 6.1104 warns that an absentee ballot is not valid if the affirmation statement is unsigned. **Sign the affirmation.** If you are told your ballot has a defect, contact the Election Office the same day; there may be no second chance after 1:30 p.m. on Election Day.

Absentee Ballot Denied

  1. Step 1: Contact the American Samoa Election Office at 684-699-3570 to confirm which of the three absentee categories you fall in and its deadline
  2. Step 2: Check that you applied within the right window — off-island by October 19, walk-in by November 2
  3. Step 3: Provide proof of travel if you are claiming a travel reason
  4. Step 4: If denied, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683
  5. Step 5: Military and overseas voters should contact FVAP about the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot

Resources:

Emergency Contacts:

  • Election Protection Hotline 1-866-687-8683 — For absentee voting access issues

Denied During Early Voting

  1. Step 1: Remember that American Samoa has no general early voting — the Election Office runs excuse-based walk-in absentee voting only
  2. Step 2: Confirm with the Election Office at 684-699-3570 whether you meet an absentee category
  3. Step 3: If you do and are still turned away, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683
  4. Step 4: If you do not, plan to vote at your polling station between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on November 3

Resources:

Emergency Contacts:

  • Election Protection Hotline 1-866-687-8683 — For early voting access issues

Resources & Contacts

Official State Resources

National Voting Rights Resources

News Organizations to Contact

  • Samoa News — daily newspaper of record for American Samoa
  • Talanei — territory news and radio

Social Media Contacts

Sources

This guide was compiled from the following sources:

  • https://www.aselectionoffice.gov
  • https://www.aselectionoffice.gov/registration
  • https://www.aselectionoffice.gov/absentee-voting
  • https://www.aselectionoffice.gov/armed-forces-info
  • https://www.aselectionoffice.gov/calendar (2026 Election Calendar of Events)
  • https://asbar.org/code-annotated/6-1105-return-of-ballot
  • https://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/pacific/AS/american-samoa-elections-code-2010 (A.S.C.A. Title 6)
  • https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-11-receipt-and-postmark-deadlines-for-absentee-mail-ballots
  • https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voter-registration-deadlines
  • https://www.usvotefoundation.org/state-voter-information/american-samoa
  • https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives_election_in_American_Samoa,_2026
  • https://ballotpedia.org/American_Samoa_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026
  • https://ballotpedia.org/American_Samoa_Senate
  • https://www.thegreenpapers.com/G26/AS
  • https://vote.gov/register/american-samoa
  • https://www.fvap.gov/american-samoa
  • https://www.fvap.gov/guide/chapter2/american-samoa
  • https://www.eac.gov/american-samoa-voter-info
  • https://866ourvote.org/
  • https://www.vitalchek.com/v/birth-certificates/american-samoa/american-samoa-department-of-homeland-security
  • https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/american_samoa.htm
  • https://alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/14/americans-by-name-prosecuted-for-voting-in-alaska
  • https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/08/13/state-continues-whittier-voter-misconduct-prosecutions-despite-landmark-us-supreme-court-citizenship-ruling
  • https://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/supreme-court-rules-to-protect-birthright-citizenship-in-landmark-case
  • https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/08/challenge-brought-to-trumps-new-birthright-citizenship-order
  • https://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/american-samoa

Last Updated: 2026-09-07 | Generated by Patriot Agent Voting Rights Knowledge Base

Verify all information with official government sources before acting.

Corrections

Correction [2026-09-08]: Stated that mail voting is not available in American Samoa and that no ballot return deadline applies, while the same document described a live absentee process. A.S.C.A. section 6.1105 requires absentee ballots to be RECEIVED by 1:30 p.m. on Election Day — four and a half hours before polls close, and unusually early. Readers were given no deadline for a deadline that exists. Source: https://asbar.org/.

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