American Samoa leaders rally behind Alaska defendants as citizenship, voting case unfolds
VOTERS: People wait in line outside the Alaska Division of Elections Region II office on Gambell Street in Midtown Anchorage, Alaska, to cast their ballot in the general election as absentee in-person and early voting began on Oct. 21, 2024. Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News/Tribune News Service
Eleven American Samoans in Whittier, Alaska, face up to 10 years in jail simply for being told they could vote.
Now the governor of American Samoa and the territory's congresswoman are calling on Alaska officials to drop the criminal charges, which stem from confusion over the difference between U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals.
The defendants, including firefighter Michael Pese and school board member Tupe Smith, were charged with voter misconduct and perjury after checking boxes on state forms indicating they were U.S. citizens. People born in American Samoa are classified by the federal government as U.S. nationals but not citizens, though those born in other U.S. territories like Guam are auto…