American Samoa, Amendment 7, Senate Size Measure (2022)
| American Samoa Amendment 7 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic State legislative structure |
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| Type Constitutional convention referral |
Origin |
American Samoa Amendment 7 was on the ballot as a constitutional convention referral in American Samoa on November 8, 2022. It was defeated.
A "yes" vote supported increasing the size of the Senate from 18 to 20 by adding two seats for Manu’a. |
A "no" vote opposed increasing the size of the Senate from 18 to 20 by adding two seats for Manu’a. |
Election results
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American Samoa Amendment 7 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 2,593 | 37.62% | ||
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4,299 | 62.38% | ||
Measure design
Amendment 7 would have increased the size of the Senate from 18 to 20. As of 2022, the constitution said, "The Senate shall consist of eighteen members, three from the Manu’a District, six from the Western District, and nine from the Eastern District."[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Amendment 7 was as follows:
| “ | This amendment will restore five (5) Senators to Manu’a. The total number of Senators would increase from 18 to 20. | ” |
Background
American Samoa constitutional conventions
As of 2022, the American Samoa Constitution authorized the governor to appoint a Constitutional Committee to propose amendments to a constitutional convention. Delegates to the constitutional convention were selected by their respective county councils. The number of delegates per county was calculated by dividing the population of the county by 400, and every county was guaranteed at least one delegate. Amendments proposed needed to receive a simple majority vote by voters and be approved by the U.S. Secretary of Interior.
The 2022 convention was the 6th convention since 1966. The last convention occurred in 2010. The 2010 referendum asked voters one question: "Do you approve the 2010 amendments to the Revised Constitution of American Samoa?" The question was rejected by a margin of 70.1% opposing the amendments to 29.9% supporting.[2][3][4]
Path to the ballot
The American Samoa Constitution authorized the governor to call a constitutional convention consisting of delegates appointed by county councils. The 6th Constitutional Convention of American Samoa convened on August 29, 2022, and adjourned on September 2, 2022. The number of delegates appointed was 129. The convention voted to refer 11 constitutional amendments to the ballot.[5][2]
The amendments needed a simple majority vote for approval. If approved, the amendments also needed to be approved by the U.S. Secretary of Interior.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Revised Constitution," accessed October 4, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 American Samoa, "Office of the Governor of Samoa," June 20, 2022
- ↑ Samoa News, "ELECTION UPDATE: Sample ballot for referendum released," accessed October 3, 2022
- ↑ Samoa News, "Voters strongly reject constitutional revisions," November 3, 2010
- ↑ Talanei.com, "11 proposed constitutional changes on the ballot," September 9, 2022
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