Throughout the 2010s, the U.S. territories (overall) lost population. The combined population of the five inhabited territories was 4,100,594 in 2010, and 3,569,284 in 2020.
People of these territories (except some in American Samoa) are U.S. citizens, pay federal taxes such as Social Security and Medicare – but not federal income tax — and can freely travel within the U.S. Unlike states, the territories do not have a vote in Congress.
Insular areas, including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, are not allowed to choose electors in U.S. presidential elections or elect voting members of the U.S. Congress.
The fifth column (NV) has the number of Members of the House who did not vote.
A delegate is a person selected to represent a group of people in some political assembly of the United States. In the United States Congress delegates are elected to represent the interests of a United States territory and its citizens or nationals.
American Samoa's at-large congressional district encompasses the entire U.S. territorial region of American Samoa. The territory does not have a voting member of Congress but does elect a delegate who can participate in debates and vote in committees of which they are a member.
The U.S. House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
There are currently six non-voting members: a delegate representing the federal district of Washington D.C., a resident commissioner representing Puerto Rico, and one delegate for each of the other four US Territories with people: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.
Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the island containing the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic); the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands lies some 215 kilometres (134 mi) to the north-west.
As statehood candidates, their admission to the Union requires congressional approval. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands are also U.S. territories and could potentially become U.S. states.
Because they haven't voted to become a state and ratified the US constitution. The US has many territories across the world. Any one of them could become a state if they wish. Puerto Rico has voted several times on the issue but their people have decided to stay a territory.
American Samoa became a U.S. territory by deed of cession, starting in 1900. The matai (local chiefs) of Tutuila, the largest island in American Samoa, ceded the island to the United States in 1900. Unlike citizens of other U.S. territories who are U.S. citizens, American Samoans are U.S. nationals.
Why have territories like Guam become so central to U.S. military might? Precisely because the people there lack the full rights of citizenship. The U.S. military has hundreds of foreign military bases throughout the world — an estimated 800 bases in around 80 countries and possessions worldwide.
Learn more about U.S. territories
- American Samoa.
- Guam.
- Northern Mariana Islands.
- Puerto Rico.
- U.S. Virgin Islands.
Government and society. Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States governed under the Organic Act of Guam, passed by the U.S. Congress and approved by the president on August 1, 1950. The Organic Act made all Chamorros U.S. citizens.
The official head of state is the President of the United States and while American Samoans can vote in party primaries, they cannot vote in the presidential election.
Citizens of Guam may not vote in general elections for President. The United States Constitution grants congressional voting representation to the states, of which Guam is not one. The lack of voting representation in Congress for residents of Guam has been an issue since the foundation of the federal district.
If no candidate for president receives an absolute majority of the electoral votes, pursuant to the 12th Amendment, the House of Representatives is required to go into session immediately to choose a president from among the three candidates who received the most electoral votes.
D.C. residents have no representation in the Senate. The Twenty-third Amendment, adopted in 1961, entitles the District to the same number of electoral votes as that of the least populous state in the election of the President and Vice President.
Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens: Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony until the U.S. took control of the island after the Spanish-American War of 1898. In 1917, the U.S. granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans through the Jones-Shafroth Act. Puerto Ricans have U.S. passports.
The tiny western Pacific island of Guam has been a U.S. territory for over a century, and is considered a strategically important link between the U.S. and Asia. The only reason America annexed Guam and its Chamorro inhabitants all those years ago was because the U.S. was at war with Spain.
That's partially correct. When citizens cast their ballots for president in the popular vote, they elect a slate of electors. Electors then cast the votes that decide who becomes president of the United States. Usually, electoral votes align with the popular vote in an election.
As it is not a state, Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the U.S. Congress, which governs the unincorporated territory with jurisdiction under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950. Puerto Rico's sole congressional representation is through one non-voting member of the House called a Resident Commissioner.
Electoral votes are allocated among the States based on the Census. Every State is allocated a number of votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation—two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its Congressional districts.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
The Constitution prescribes that the Senate be composed of two senators from each State (therefore, the Senate currently has 100 Members) and that a senator must be at least thirty years of age, have been a citizen of the United States for nine years, and, when elected, be a resident of the State from which he or she
The oldest sitting senator is Dianne Feinstein (born 1933).
Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives has the power to impeach a government official, in effect serving as prosecutor. The Senate has the sole power to conduct impeachment trials, essentially serving as jury and judge.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives each represent a portion of their state known as a Congressional District, which averages 700,000 people. Senators however, represent the entire state.
Who is the current leader of the Senate?
Mitch McConnell
Chuck Schumer
House members must be twenty-five years of age and citizens for seven years. Senators are at least thirty years old and citizens for nine years. Another difference is who they represent. Today, Congress consists of 100 senators (two from each state) and 435 voting members of the House of Representatives.
