The second category of local absentee voting, electors who will be on island but unable to go to the polling stations to cast ballots on election day, Nov. 8th, starts next week.

Those qualifed electors are individuals confined to any hospital, public institution, at home because of illness or physical disability; those who are prevented from voting because of religious belief, etc. and individuals serving as election officials on Election Day.

Local law authorizes the chief election officer to designate a day or days on which the foregoing qualified electors may cast their absentee ballots.

Therefore, all those individuals who cannot vote at the polls on Election Day because of illness or physical disability, or religious reasons, must submit their requests to the village mayor (pulenu’u) of the village, according to chief election officer Uiagalelei Dr. Lealofi Uiagalelei in a statement issued late last week.

These same voters can also contact the Election Office directly on this important issue. The pulenu’u is to promptly turn in the requests to the Election Office.

Casting local absentee ballots for this category of local absentee voting begins Thursday, Oct. 13th through Monday, Nov. 7th, says Uiagalelei, who added that election officials will conduct this task by going to the qualified electors’ homes during this period of vote casting.

Uiagalelei says any qualified elector who fails to submit, his/her request for absentee ballot to the pulenu’u, must make the request directly to the Election Office. The deadline to request local absentee ballots is 4:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 7, 2016.

“No absentee voting will be allowed on Election Day,” Uiagalelei said.

As previously reported by Samoa News the other category of local absentee voting, which began last month, are electors who reside in American Samoa but will be temporarily absent from the territory on Election Day. These electors began to vote by absentee ballot at the Election Office on, Friday, Sept. 9th — during office hours — until Nov. 7th.  Additionally, the Election Office is also open on Saturdays from 8:00am to 12:00pm for local absentee voting.

Qualified electors who may vote by local absentee ballot, between now and until the day before election are voters traveling for: medical treatment; military-related assignments; employment-related training, conference or assignments; and vacation.

In accordance with local law, those travelers listed above who wish to vote must present proof of their temporary absence from American Samoa. Such proof includes, but is not limited to, airline/ carrier ticket, military order, travel authorization, medical referral, etc.

Uiagalelei remind the public that Oct. 11th is the last day to register or re-register to vote in the general election. Re-registration is necessary if the elector was purged from the voter-roll for failing to vote in the last consecutive elections.

OVERSEAS ABSENTEE

Another reminder from Uiagalelei is that Oct. 24th is the last day to receive an outside absentee ballot request. Those in the military, student in an institution of learning, employed in the U.S. government, employed in the services of the American Samoa Government, are qualified to vote outside absentee.

There are two ways to request overseas absentee ballot. One is the EO-08 Form (Request for Absentee Ballot Form) and second, is the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).

All military voters requesting an absentee ballot are advised to use the FPCA as much as possible, said Uiagalelei, who added that both forms are available online at:

www. americansamoaelectionoffice.org or the FVAP website.