Right to Vote

The Right to Vote on Guam

From the beginning of the American governance of Guam in 1898, CHamorus expressed a strong desire to participate in the government of their island. In December 1901, a petition was sent to the US Congress expressing happiness that Guam was now under the United States. However, this expression was coupled with feelings of extreme dissatisfaction with being under military rule as well. The first form of participation in local government came in the form of the Guam Congress in 1917, nearly two decades after the US began administering the island. The Congress was an advisory board with no legislative powers and members were appointed by the governor to give recommendations to the naval governor, who ultimately had the power to ignore them.