On July 10, the Guam legislature passed Bill 287, which moves the territory’s general election presidential vote from November, to the Guam primary. This year, the Guam primary is on Saturday, September 6. The Governor has until July 24 to sign or veto the bill. If it becomes law, it takes effect this year.
Guam has been voting for president in the general election starting in 1980. Because Guam has no electoral votes, the vote is merely a “straw vote”. Guam has been holding a general election for president in order to draw attention to the fact that the residents of Guam are U.S. citizens, and they must obey the laws passed in Washington, yet they have neither a voting member of Congress, nor any meaningful presidential vote.
The preamble to Bill Number 287 says that the U.S. media never report the Guam presidential vote, which is true. The bill’s preamble says, “It is therefore the intent of I Liheslatura to move the ‘straw poll’ for President and Vice-President from the general election to the primary election so that Guam’s choice for our nation’s highest leaders will be known in advance of the national general election, and draw attention to the continued disenfranchisement of the American citizens living in the American territory of Guam.”
Guam is the only colonial possession of the U.S. to have ever held a general election vote for president. The Puerto Rico legislature passed a similar measure some years ago, but the Puerto Rican Supreme Court ruled that the measure violates the Puerto Rico Constitution.
Presidential candidates get on the Guam general election presidential ballot by showing that they are on the ballot in at least one state, and by writing a letter to the Guam Election Commission. In 2004 the only candidates on the Guam ballot were Bush, Kerry, Nader and Badnarik.
Does the Guam Election Commission choose to put some candidates on the ballot regardless of whether or not they request to be on the ballot (such as Bush and Kerry in 2004)?
Or did those candidates actually request to be on the ballot? If so, my opinion of both has gone up slightly.
The Democratic and Republican Parties are qualified parties in Guam, so their presidential nominees are on automatically.
U.S.A. Constitution — Amdt 28 NOW —
Abolish the timebomb Electoral College.
Uniform definition of Elector in ALL of the U.S.A. — States, DC, territories, colonies.
P.R. for all legislative bodies.
A.V. for all elected executive offices and all judges.
— regardless of ALL ANTI-Democracy MORONS who learn nothing from history and pre-school math — like 2 is more than 1 (except with EVIL gerrymanders — advanced 1st grade EVIL math — 26 percent controlling 74 percent — half the votes in half the gerrymander districts).
If the bill passes will anyone but the dem and rep be on the ballot?
Sure, anyone who writes the letter by mid-August will be on. But they don’t get a label unless they show they are on the ballot in some state with that same label.