General elections was held in American Samoa

American Samoa

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...

 on 4 November 2008, coinciding with the 2008 United States general elections

United States general elections, 2008

The 2008 United States general elections were held on November 4. The result was a significant victory for the Democratic Party on the national level, as they increased majorities in both houses of Congress and won the Presidency. Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain in the...

.

Gubernatorial election

Incumbent governor Togiola Tulafono

Togiola Tulafono

Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono is the 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....

 sought re-election. The gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2008.

U.S. Congressional election

Ten term incumbent Delegate

Delegate (United States Congress)

A delegate to Congress is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives who is elected from a U.S. territory and from Washington, D.C. to a two-year term. While unable to vote in the full House, a non-voting delegate may vote in a House committee of which the delegate is a member...

 Eni Faleomavaega, a Democrat, sought an 11th term. He was challenged by Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Aumua Amata Coleman and Independent Rosie F. Tago Lancaster.

American Samoa House of Representatives election

There were 54 candidates vying for the 20 elected seats in the American Samoa House of Representatives

American Samoa House of Representatives

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 popular elected members, and one representative elected by a public meeting on Swains Island....

. 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. The only member who ran unopposed was Rep. Agaoleatu Charlie Tautolo.

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

Referendum

A referendum

Referendum

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

 to allow the legislative override

Veto override

A veto override is an action by legislators and decision-makers to override an act of veto by someone with such powers - thus forcing through a new decision. The power to override a veto varies greatly in tandem with the veto power itself. The U.S constitution gives a 2/3 majority Congress the...

 of the governor’s veto

Veto

A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...

es was on the ballot

Ballot

A ballot is a device used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. In the simplest elections, a ballot may be a simple scrap of paper on which each voter writes in the name of a candidate, but governmental elections use pre-printed to protect the...

 on November 4, 2008.

The American Samoa Fono

American Samoa Fono

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...

 passed the proposal giving itself the authority to override a veto by the Governor of American Samoa. The proposal was then submitted to the Governor's office to be forwarded to the American Samoa election office as a referendum. The referendum will ask voters to agree to amend the American Samoa Constitution to give the Fono, rather than the United States Secretary of the Interior

United States Secretary of the Interior

The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...

, the power to override a veto by the Governor.

Currently, a veto

Veto

A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...

 can only be overridden by the United States Secretary of the Interior

United States Secretary of the Interior

The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...

, who is based in Washington D.C. Any veto powers bestowed on the Fono would require a two-thirds majority in both the American Samoa House of Representatives

American Samoa House of Representatives

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 popular elected members, and one representative elected by a public meeting on Swains Island....

 and the American Samoa Senate

American Samoa Senate

The American Samoa Senate is the upper house of the American Samoa Fono. The Senate, like the lower House of Representatives, is a nonpartisan body. It is composed of 18 senators, serving a four-year term.-List of Senators:* Utu Abe Malae...

 before becoming law.

Results

The legislative over-ride proposal was defeated narrowly in the referendum, thereby maintaining the veto powers to the United States Secretary of the Interior.
Summary of the 4 November 2008 American Samoa

American Samoa

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...

n legislative override referendum results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Choice
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%
|-
|align="left" |No
|align="right" |6,159
|align="right" |50.1
|-
|align="left" |Yes
|align="right" |6,137
|align="right" |49.9
|-
|style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align="left" valign="top"|Total valid votes
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|12,296
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100.0
|-
|colspan="3" align="left"|Source: American Samoa Election Office
|}

External links

• American Samoa Election Office