Voting

You will be able to cast an absentee vote as a citizen of the US as is your birthrite

Unless you establish residency here you will not be able to. Yes, we have libraries here.

RL

Thanks for the info. I am moving down for the longterm so how long until you get residency?

The Virgin Islands are not a state and, therefore, just like the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, we do not have the right to vote for president or vice-president. We only vote for local officials.

You can apply for a voter's registration card after 90 days. The next election is November, 2008. You might want to read up on the Constitutional Convention that is supposed to start any day now on the Source, one of the on-line newspapers

Actually, I just moved a week and a half ago and was able to pick up my voter's card today. So maybe that has changed?

I guess they figure you'll have to be here 90 days since the election is so far off? Did you have to prove your residency?

The library on STT is on Main street - first light down from vendors square. You need ID, and proof of residency (something to show your local address so that they know they can send you a letter if you fail to return books) to get a library card.

I went down to the Election office here (Kansas). They told me just to apply for an absentee ballot and check the box for living outside of the US indefinitely. I'm not sure if she really knew what she was talking about or just trying to get me out of her way since a million people where there trying to vote.

Except you are not "living outside" the USA.

When you register to vote here you must state on the registration where you last voted (under penalty of perjury) and your prior stateside registration is cancelled. Voting is important- in the last governor's election John DeJongh avoided havng to go to a run-off election by one vote!

Here is a copy of an email which I received which states we can indeed vote in federal elections if we are indeed former mainlanders...Hope this clears this question up for you and everyone else...

Yvonne (Thierry's wife)

Tue, 3 Jul 2007 22:50:53 +0200

Hi Yvonne,

You will register using the LAST U.S. residence address you had – that seems to be NC from what you describe. It's your voting residence address - and that is what some election officials refer to as a “current” residence for overseas voters -- is your last US residence address.

You do not need to own or be living at that address, or sending mail there. It is your last/former address in the US .

Go to our site, mouse-over Voter Services on the top line menu, and click on State Specific Requirements. Choose your state, and go! You will get a URL for the form and instructions for completing it according to your specific state requirements. It does not take long to register and there is an online address look-up through the Election Official Directory. You have to send your signed original form in by postal mail with your original signature for it to be accepted. If you have any problem, come back to us here and we will help you.

Make sure to confirm with your Election Official that your application is accepted and you are on the voting rolls in early 2008.

Don't hesitate to send further questions, and thank you for contacting OVF's Voter Help Desk,

Susan

OVF Voter Help Desk
Overseas Vote Foundation
Nonprofit, Nonpartisan Public Charity
support@overseasvotefoundation.org
http://www.overseasvotefoundation.org
Remember to join our mailing list!

I think that's if you're moving outside of the US & its territories. If you're a legal, established resident in the USVI you cannot vote in the US elections.

I think people are talking about 2 different things here. If you are a USVI permanent resident but not a US citizen, then you can't vote. But if you live in the USVI and are a US citizen and can prove residency in one of the 50 states, then you should be able to vote. As Marlene said "it is your birth rite." I'm almost positive all you need to do is vote through an absentee ballot. I think Thierry's email clarifies that. If you can vote as a US (stateside) citizen when you are living outside of US territories, then why wouldn't you be able to vote if you are living in a US territory?

If you are a resident of the USVI, you may not register stateside. You can't be resident in two places.

I am still a little confused. Oh well I guess I will figure it all out eventually! 🙂

It's really very simple. All US jurisdictions say that only residents can vote. You vote where you live. You can't live in Montana and continue to vote in Tennessee, you are no longer a resident of Tennessee. By the same token, you can't live in the USVI and vote in Montana. College students do have a choice, they can vote where they are going to school or at their parents residence, considered thier permanent residence, but not both.

But if you live in Paris, and are a US citizen, then you can vote where you LAST lived in the USA.

If you read below from 42 USC Section 107, Paragraph 5, Sub Paragraphs B and C and paragraph 6,it is very clear that a person living in the United States Virgin Islands is not considered outside of the United States and therefore can not vote with an absentee ballot ......................

SEC. 107. DEFINITIONS

(1) "absent uniformed services voter" means --

(A) a member of a uniformed service on active duty who, by reason of such active duty, is absent from the place of residence where the member is otherwise qualified to vote;

(B) a member of the merchant marine who, by reason of service in the merchant marine, is absent from the place of residence where the member is otherwise qualified to vote; and

(C) a spouse or dependent of a member referred to in subparagraph (A) or (B) who, by reason of the active duty or service of the member, is absent from the place of residence where the spouse or dependent is otherwise qualified to vote;

(2) "balloting materials" means official post card forms (prescribed under section 101), Federal write-in absentee ballots (prescribed under section 103), and any State balloting materials that, as determined by the Presidential designee, are essential to the carrying out of this title;

(3) "Federal office" means the office of President or Vice President, or of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress

(4) "member of the merchant marine" means an individual (other than a member of a uniformed service or an individual employed, enrolled, or maintained on the Great Lakes or the inland waterways) --

(A) employed as an officer or crew member of a vessel documented under the laws of the United States, or a vessel owned by the United States, or a vessel of foreign-flag registry under charter to or control of the United States; or

(B) enrolled with the United States for employment or training for employment, or maintained by the United States for emergency relief service, as an officer or crew member of any such vessel;

(5) "overseas voter" means --

(A) an absent uniformed services voter who, by reason of active duty or service is absent from the United States on the date of the election involved;

(B) a person who resides outside the United States and is qualified to vote in the last place in which the person was domiciled before leaving the United States; or

(C) a person who resides outside the United States and (but for such residence) would be qualified to vote in the last place in which the person was domiciled before leaving the United States;

(6) "State" means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa;

(7) "uniformed services" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, and the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and

(8) "United States", where used in the territorial sense, means the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.

Okay, while we are on the subject, I will climb up on the voting soap box again... There are people from other Caribbean islands who move here, live and eventually attain U.S. citizenship. They sometimes will go back and vote on their home island. Their reasoning is that they are now "dual citizens," as if they didn't understand about "renouncing all allegience and fidelity" to a foreign state. You picks your place of residence (or country) and you takes your chances. If you cannot give up voting in the national elections, and believe me, it is very painful, you should not move to the Virgin Islands.

You can't have your johnnycake and eat it, too.

in what She/He/It is saying

Yeah, but I know Brits who have both US & UK citizenship.

Trade: I believe you can have dual citizenship by way of your parents. But when you are naturalized, you give up your other allegience.

As usual you are correct. When you become a naturalized US citizen you give up your citizen of birth country. The US does not recognize dual citizens. Other countries might recognize the dual status.

Mexico does and even lets them vote absentee in their elections......

FYI- D.C. residents vote for president, but the city has no electoral votes and no voting representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate.