Elections in the United States Virgin Islands
Encyclopedia
Elections in the U.S. Virgin Islands are held to elect senators to the Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the governor and lieutenant governor of the territory, and a delegate to the United States House of Representatives
.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. Although U.S. citizens, Virgin Islanders cannot vote in U.S. Presidential elections
. At the national level, the U.S. Virgin Islands elects a delegate
to the United States Congress
.
At the territorial level, fifteen senators to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands
-- seven from the district of Saint Croix, seven from the district of Saint Thomas
and Saint John
, and one senator at-large (who must be a resident of Saint John) -- are elected for two-years term to the unicameral Virgin Islands Legislature.
Since 1970, the U.S. Virgin Islands has elected a territorial governor
every four years. Previous governors were appointed by the President of the United States.
The main political parties in the U.S. Virgin Islands are the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands
, the Independent Citizens Movement
(ICM), and the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands
. Additional candidates run as independents.
and Lieutenant Governor Gregory Francis
were elected over Kenneth Mapp
and Almando Liburd, and Adlah Donastorg and Dr. Cora Christian.
. She was last elected in 2008
without opposition.
A federal lawsuit in the District Court of the Virgin Islands is currently pending to provide Virgin Islanders with the fundamental right to be represented in Congress and vote for U.S. President. The case is Civil No. 3:11-cv-110, Charles v. U.S. Federal Elections Commission. The case alleges it was racial discrimination present in an all-white and segregated Congress of 1917 that was the impetus to deny the right to vote to a majority non-white constituency.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. Although U.S. citizens, Virgin Islanders cannot vote in U.S. Presidential elections
United States presidential election
Elections for President and Vice President of the United States are indirect elections in which voters cast ballots for a slate of electors of the U.S. Electoral College, who in turn directly elect the President and Vice President...
. At the national level, the U.S. Virgin Islands elects a delegate
United States Virgin Islands's At-large congressional district
The United States Virgin Islands's At-large congressional district encompasses the entire area of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The territory does not have a voting member of Congress, but does elect a delegate who can participate in debates....
to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
At the territorial level, fifteen senators to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands
Legislature of the Virgin Islands
The Legislature of the Virgin Islands is the territorial legislature of the United States Virgin Islands. The legislative branch of the unincorporated U.S. territory is unicameral, with a single house consisting of 15 senators, elected to two-year terms without term limits. The territorial...
-- seven from the district of Saint Croix, seven from the district of Saint Thomas
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. St...
and Saint John
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. St...
, and one senator at-large (who must be a resident of Saint John) -- are elected for two-years term to the unicameral Virgin Islands Legislature.
Since 1970, the U.S. Virgin Islands has elected a territorial governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
every four years. Previous governors were appointed by the President of the United States.
The main political parties in the U.S. Virgin Islands are the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands
Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands
The Democratic Party is a political party in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It won the gubernatorial elections of 2006 when its candidate John de Jongh was elected with 57.3 %.At the last elections, 7 November 2006, the party won 8 out of 15 seats....
, the Independent Citizens Movement
Independent Citizens Movement
The Independent Citizens Movement is a conservative political party in the U.S. Virgin Islands that was founded by Virdin C. Brown and Steve O'Reilly in 1968. Its symbol is the torch.- Early history:...
(ICM), and the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands
Republican Party of the Virgin Islands
The Republican Party is a political party in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was founded in 1948 by a committee led by Roy Gordon as a successor to the Republican Club of the Virgin Islands founded in 1924 by Adolph Achille Gereau....
. Additional candidates run as independents.
2006
Gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2006 with a run off election on November 21, 2006 between the deJongh - Francis team and the Mapp - Liburd team. Governor John de JonghJohn de Jongh
John Percy de Jongh, Jr. is the current Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.-Life and career:de Jongh was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a child he attended Sts. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas. After his parents' divorce, he lived with his mother in Detroit, Michigan while his mother did...
and Lieutenant Governor Gregory Francis
Gregory Francis
Gregory R. Francis is a politician in the United States Virgin Islands. A Democrat, he has served as Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands since January 1, 2007, having been elected on a ticket with Governor John de Jongh.-Early life:Gregory Francis was born in Saint Croix on...
were elected over Kenneth Mapp
Kenneth Mapp
Kenneth E. Mapp is a United States Virgin Islanders politician. A former Virgin Islands Senator, Mapp served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1995 until 1999. Most recently, Mapp was an independent candidate for Governor of the U.S...
and Almando Liburd, and Adlah Donastorg and Dr. Cora Christian.
Legislative elections
The most recent legislative elections were held in November 2008.Elections for Delegate to Congress
The current delegate is Donna Christian-ChristensenDonna Christian-Christensen
Donna Marie Christian-Christensen, formerly Donna Christian-Green , is the non-voting Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands to the United States House of Representatives .-Early life:...
. She was last elected in 2008
United States House of Representatives election in the United States Virgin Islands, 2008
The 2008 Congressional election for the Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands was held on November 4, 2008.The non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands is elected for two-year terms. The winner of the race will serve in the...
without opposition.
A federal lawsuit in the District Court of the Virgin Islands is currently pending to provide Virgin Islanders with the fundamental right to be represented in Congress and vote for U.S. President. The case is Civil No. 3:11-cv-110, Charles v. U.S. Federal Elections Commission. The case alleges it was racial discrimination present in an all-white and segregated Congress of 1917 that was the impetus to deny the right to vote to a majority non-white constituency.
See also
- Electoral calendar
- Electoral system
- Political party strength in the United States Virgin IslandsPolitical party strength in the United States Virgin IslandsThe following table indicates the party of elected officials in the United States insular area of the United States Virgin Islands:*Governor*Lieutenant GovernorThe table also indicates the historical party composition in the:*Territorial Legislature...