Guam general election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The Guam general election of 2004 was held on 2 November. On the ballot were:
  • The President
    President of the United States
    The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

     and Vice president of the United States
    Vice President of the United States
    The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

     (Despite the fact that the territory possesses no Federal voice on the subject)
  • All 15 seats in the Legislature of Guam
    Legislature of Guam
    The Legislature of Guam is the territorial legislature of Guam. The legislative branch of the unincorporated U.S. territory is unicameral, with a single house consisting of fifteen senators, serving for a two year term...

  • The Federal 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...

  • mayor
    Mayor
    In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

    s of 14 cities:
    • Agat
      Agat, Guam
      Agat is a village on the island of Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located south of Apra Harbor on the island's western shore. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2000 census....

    • Agana heights
      Agana Heights, Guam
      Agana Heights is one of the 19 villages of Guam. It is located in the hills south of Hagåtña , in the central part of the island. The U.S. Naval Hospital is located in this largely residential village.-Education:...

    • Asan-Maina
      Asan, Guam
      Asan is a village located on the western shore of the U.S. territory of Guam. The municipality of Asan-Maina combines Asan with Maina, a community in the hills to the east. It was a primary landing site for United States Marines during Guam's liberation from the Japanese in World War II. Asan...

    • Chalan Pago/Ordot
    • Inanajan
      Inarajan, Guam
      Inarajan is a village located on the Southeastern coast of the Marianas Island of Guam. The village's original Chamoru name, Inalåhan, was altered when transliterated during Spainish control of the island....

    • Mangilao
      Mangilao, Guam
      Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has increased slightly following the island's 2000 census....

    • Mongmong-Toto-Maite
      Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Guam
      Mongmong-Toto-Maite is a municipality in Guam composed of three separate villages east of Hagåtña that experienced development after World War II. Mongmong is adjacent to the Hagåtña Swamp. Toto is situated to the northeast near Barrigada. Maite is located on the cliffs over Agana Bay. The...

    • Piti
      Piti, Guam
      Piti is a village located on the western shore of Guam. It contains the commercial port of Guam at Apra Harbor as well as several of the island’s largest power plants.- Education :Guam Public School System serves the island....

    • Santa Rita
      Santa Rita, Guam
      Santa Rita is a village located on the southwest coast of the United States territory of Guam with hills overlooking Apra Harbor. According to the 2000 census it has a population of 7,500, down from 11,857 in 1990....

    • Sinajana
      Sinajana, Guam
      Sinajana is smallest of the nineteen Villages of Guam. It is located in the hills south of Hagåtña . The village's name may have come from the word "china-jan," cookware used to cook wild yams that once grew in the area. Sinajana is one of a few villages that was urbanized as a result of a...

    • Talofofo
      Talofofo, Guam
      Talofofo is a village located in the southern part of the United States territory of Guam, on the east coast. The village center is located in the hills above the coast, while the smaller coastal community below the cliff is known as Ipan....

    • Umatac
      Umatac, Guam
      Umatac is a village on the south-western coast of the island of Guam. The month of March in Chamorro is "Umatalaf," or "to catch guatafi," which is believed to be the root word of Umatac. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2000 census...

    • Yona
      Yona, Guam
      - History :The village was historically a farming community but today is mostly residential. During World War II, the Japanese forced the indigenous Chamorros to march from camps in northern Guam to prison camps in the Manenggon area in Yona shortly before the Americans liberated the island...

  • 3 vice mayors:
    • Dededo
      Dededo, Guam
      Dededo is the most populated village of the United States territory of Guam. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dededo's population was just under 45,000 in 2010. The village is located on the coral plateau of Northern Guam.- Etymology :...

    • Agat
    • Barrigada
      Barrigada, Guam
      Barrigada is a village in central Guam. A largely residential municipality, its main village is located south of the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport near the intersections of Routes 8, 10, and 16...

  • The Public Auditor of Guam
  • The Consolidated Commission on Utilities
  • Two judges of the Superior Court of Guam, running for retention
    Retention election
    A judicial retention election is a periodic process whereby a judge is subject to a referendum held at the same time as a general election...

  • The Guam Public Education Policy Board.

Background

In Guam, elections to the Legislature and multi-member boards are run via open primary
Open primary
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted...

 (This following the outlawing of the previous blanket primary
Blanket primary
The blanket primary is a system used for selecting political party candidates in a primary election in the USA. In a blanket primary, voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to party lines; for instance, a voter might select a Democratic candidate for governor and a Republican...

) similar to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

.

Both the Public Auditor and Consolidated Commission on Utilities are required to be nonpartisan and as such candidates are not allowed to state affiliations or list them on the ballot.

In the case of the Auditor, affiliating with a party is grounds for disqualification.

Run up

The Guam Bar Association conducted an internal survey to determine feelings towards the two judges running for retention. Both were given strong marks of approval by the less than 100 members.

During the run up, "Proposition A", the gaming/gabling legalization measure received significant coverage. A group called "Citizens for Economic Diversity" proponed it.

Presidential

Despite not having any electoral votes, Guam approved of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 by 64% over John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

. Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....

 and Steve Badnarik both received less than one percent.

Delegate

Madeleine Bordallo
Madeleine Bordallo
Madeleine Mary Zeien Bordallo is the Delegate from Guam to the United States House of Representatives.She was the first woman ever to serve as Guam's Delegate, Guam's first female Lieutenant Governor , Guam's first female candidate for Governor , and the first Democratic woman elected to the...

, a Democrat, ran unopposed and kept her seat in the United States House of Representatives
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...

.

Initiatives

The only ballot initiative, 1, which was a proposal for legalized and controlled gambling, went down to defeat.

Legislature

30 candidates ran for 15 seats in the unicameral house (Both the Democratic and Republican parties nominated a full slate). Nine Republicans and six Democrats were election. Ray Tenorio
Ray Tenorio
Raymond "Ray" Tenorio is a Guamanian Republican politician and former police officer. Tenorio has served as a Senator in the Legislature of Guam since January 2003...

 was the top vote-getter with 4.92% or 21,656 votes out of 400 313 cast.

Utilities Commission

Thomas Ada and Gloria Nelson were election to the two seats on the Consolidated Commission on Utilities.

Education board

Elections for the Guam Education Policy Board suffered for a shortage of candidates: Only in the district of Luchan were there more running then returned (4, including write in, for two seats). In the other two 2 seat districts, the second had to be filled by write in, and in the 3 seat Lagu district, NO candidates were on the ballot, resulting in a 100% write-in return.

Mayors

10 Republican mayors were elected against 4 Democratic mayors and all 3 vice mayors. The vice mayor of Barrigada, June Blas was elected without opposition.

Close races

In the election to the legislature, the top 15 vote-getters are elected, and the remainder aren't. A recount was held due to the closeness of the vote counts of the critical 15th/16th candidates. As a result, Joanne Brown
Joanne Brown
Joanne Brown is a former softball catcher and outfielder from Australia, who won a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and 2000 Summer Olympics....

 (Republican), an incumbent, pushed then Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...

 Ben Pangelinan into 16th place with a two vote lead.
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