Jason Palmer’s Democratic primary win in American Samoa on Super Tuesday has brought attention to the territories of the United States and whether their residents have the right to vote in U.S. elections. The United States currently has over 14 territories and commonwealths, with five being permanently inhabited – Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These territories have a total population of 3.5 million, with 98 percent being ethnic or racial minorities.
Territories and commonwealths have a different relationship with the federal government than states, with residents facing differences in federal taxes, political representation, and the political races they can vote in. Residents of these territories are technically U.S. citizens but do not have the same eligibility for federal benefits as residents of the 50 states do. They also cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections or elect voting representatives or senators to Congress, although they do have their own presidential primaries.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act allows former residents of the 50 states living in a U.S. territory or commonwealth to vote absentee in presidential elections. However, the 2021 U.S. Commission of Civil Rights Report recommended extending the right to vote to all citizens living in U.S. territories and commonwealths to ensure equal political representation for all residents of the United States.
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