REGISTERING TO VOTE

Who can register to vote?

An individual must meet the following qualifications as provided in 3 GCA § 3101 & 3102 to be a registered voter on Guam:

  • Must not be confined to a mental institution;
  • Must not be judicially declared incompetent;
  • Must not be committed under a sentence of imprisonment;
  • Must be a citizen of the United States;
  • Must be 18 years of age by the day set for an election (every person that meets all eligibility requirements to register and is sixteen (16) years of age or older, may preregister to vote); and
  • Must be a resident of Guam.

Preregistration

Pursuant to 3 GCA § 3102(c), sixteen (16) year olds can pre-register to vote by completing an Affidavit of Registration. Individuals who pre-register to vote will be added to the voter listing when they turn eighteen (18).

Individuals who are seventeen (17) years old on the date of a primary election and will turn eighteen (18) on or before the date of the general election immediately following are qualified to vote in that election cycle. They can register to vote and vote in both the primary and general elections of that calendar year.

Rules for Determining Residency

3 GCA § 9123 provides that each person’s residency shall be determined individually; that is, no person’s residency shall conclusively determine the residency of that person’s spouse or child. The Commission shall not register any applicant who fails to provide sufficient information for it to determine residency. The following rules shall determine the residency of voters, candidates and nominees:

  1. The residency of a person is that place where that person lives for a period of at least thirty (30) days, maintains that person’s home and to which, whenever that person is absent, that person has the bona fide intention to return. For voting purposes, a person may have only one (1) residence. Indicia of residence on Guam shall include, but not be limited to, payment of Guam personal income taxes, maintaining a home or other living accommodation on Guam, having temporarily departed Guam with the intention of returning, and not being registered to vote in any other U.S. jurisdiction since departing Guam.
  2. A person does not gain residency on Guam, or any voting district, from which that person comes unless that person intends to establish a permanent dwelling place within Guam, or such voting district.
  3. If a person resides with one’s family in one (1) place, and does business or maintains real property in another place, the former is that person’s place of residence; but any person having a family, who establishes one’s own dwelling place other than with one’s family, with the intention of remaining there, shall be considered a resident where that person established such dwelling place.
  4. The mere intention to acquire a new residence without physical presence at such place does not establish residency.
  5. A person does not obtain or lose residency solely by reason of that person’s presence or absence while employed in the services of the United States, or of the government of Guam, or while a student at an institution of learning, or while kept in an institution, a hospital, or asylum, or while confined in prison.
  6. A person loses one’s residency in Guam if that person registers to vote or votes in an election held in a place other than Guam.
  7. A person who is registered to vote in another U.S. jurisdiction may not vote on Guam until the Commission has transmitted an affidavit to said jurisdiction requesting that person’s name to be removed from such election roll. The Commission shall provide affidavit forms for the removal of names of voters from the election rolls of other U.S. jurisdictions. For purposes of establishing residency in a district or municipality, a person shall be domiciled in that district or municipality for at least thirty (30) days immediately prior to the election. For voting purposes, a person shall have only one (1) place of domicile.

Where to register

You may register to vote by completing an Affidavit of Registration at the Guam Election Commission, 2nd Floor, Ste. 202 of the Oka Building in Tamuning. You may also register to vote with a Volunteer Voter Registrar, at any village Mayor’s Office, or a public high school or college campus, when a registrar is available.

When to register

Voter registration is open year-round in non-election years. During election years, voter registration closes ten business days prior to each Election Day (Primary and General) and reopens the first business day following Election Day.

Updating your Voter Registration Record

Once registered, you do not need to register again unless you fail to vote in two consecutive General Elections. If you move to a new village, you must transfer your voting district by completing a new Affidavit of Registration. Please note that transferring between Primary and General elections is prohibited. If your name changes, you must update your information with the GEC by completing a new Affidavit of Registration. Failure to update your voter registration record will cause delays in the voting process on Election Day. You may contact the GEC at any time in the year if you have any questions or think your voter registration record requires an update.

Polling Sites

Click here to view Election Polling Sites & Voting Precincts