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'Empowering and poignant:' When islanders from US territories stand on equal footing with stateside Americans




 By Ron Rocky Coloma

 

Residents from U.S. territories like Guam and Saipan who have moved to the mainland now find themselves with an opportunity unavailable to family and friends back home—the right to vote for the president of the United States.

 

These territories, though part of the U.S., are not granted the same voting rights as states, leaving those who remain unable to participate in presidential elections.

 

This divide creates a unique "change of status" for residents once they move to the mainland, granting them new political rights and responsibilities. Three individuals from Guam and Saipan shared their experiences and thoughts on what this shift means for their sense of identity, connection to home and engagement with U.S. democracy.

 

For many, the experience of gaining the right to vote in U.S. presidential elections is mixed with excitement and reflection on what it means to be both a U.S. citizen and a resident of a territory.

 

Yuuki Nishida, 24, moved from the Northern Marianas Islands to Boston in 2017 to attend Northeastern University. Though Nishida initially maintained voter registration in the CNMI, he now resides in California and looks forward to voting in her first U.S. presidential election.

 

"This year is really my first time voting in the U.S. presidential elections," he said. "I’m quite excited to vote in such a consequential election year."

 

Nishida’s experience highlights the complex and sometimes contradictory feelings that come with his new status.

 

"I have some mixed feelings about this. I think what’s been most illuminating to me…is just realizing how much of an impact I have in how people’s lives in the territories are affected," he said.

 

With his new ability to vote, Nishida can influence policies that impact Guam and the Marianas indirectly, which brings a new level of responsibility.

 

"Knowing that there are over 4 million people who aren’t able to make that choice," he shared, is a constant reminder of the disparities residents in U.S. territories face.

 

Ronna Cariaga, 21, who moved from Dededo, Guam, to Las Vegas in 2016, describes her initial interest in voting as more personal.

 

“I’ve never been much of a politics person, but I thought it would be a cool experience, especially getting that sticker when I turned 18,” she laughed.

 

However, voting wasn’t top of mind until the recent ease of mail-in ballots. Like Nishida, Cariaga holds tightly to her connection to Guam despite her relocation.

 

"Guam will always be my home, and nothing will change that," she emphasized, pointing out that the local community in Las Vegas keeps her grounded in her roots. "I’ll always refer to myself as a Guamanian or, more so, Filipino but born and raised in Guam."

 

This “change of status” for people from U.S. territories often brings deeper questions about belonging, identity and citizenship. Justin Ocampo, who moved from Saipan to Hawaiʻi in 2020, found his ability to vote empowering, but also poignant.

 

"It felt like I was finally on equal footing with most other Americans," he noted, adding that his U.S. citizenship, up until this point, felt incomplete. "This always made me feel less than American, like a second-class citizen."

 

For Ocampo, the experience of voting is layered with complex history and questions of justice. In high school, he learned about the Insular Cases Doctrine, a set of century-old Supreme Court cases that determined certain constitutional rights did not fully apply to U.S. territories.

 

This legal precedent has limited voting rights for territories, creating what Ocampo refers to as a sense of being "less than" despite sharing U.S. citizenship. Now able to vote on the mainland, Ocampo has felt an increased appreciation for transparency and directness in the political process.

 

"Being able to vote has increased my appreciation for transparency and directness in government," he said, emphasizing that voting makes him feel “more American” even though he continues to view his home in Saipan as the core of his identity.

 

For Nishida, though, voting has not necessarily changed his cultural affiliation. “With or without the ability to vote for president, it doesn’t change the fact that the CNMI is a colony of the U.S.," he said. "Culturally, there isn’t much of an identification with the U.S."

 

Nishida explains that his connection to the federal government feels largely procedural or financial, such as through budget allocation.

 

“Honestly speaking, I didn’t really think I was ‘American’ until much later in my college life,” he admitted, illustrating the cultural disconnect that often accompanies political integration.

 

Back in the Marianas, Guam and other U.S. territories, the inability to vote for the president affects perspectives on the federal government in unique ways. Ocampo believes many back home feel like “second-class citizens," which impacts trust in the federal government.

 

"People back home are patriots who embody America’s core founding values, often more passionately than those on the continent," he said. Despite this, the knowledge of being treated differently fosters a collective desire for increased federal support and representation.

 

Nishida has similar insights, noting that while people in the Marianas remain proud of being American, they are also keenly aware of what he calls a "weird limbo."

 

“There’s this sense of, yes, I am technically a U.S. citizen, but at the same time, culturally, there isn’t much identification with the U.S.,” he said.

 

The lack of voting rights reinforces this divide, creating a system that’s American in name, but one where citizens lack the full political power that U.S. citizenship usually entails.

 

As for the future, these young voters have differing opinions on the potential impact of expanding voting rights to residents in the Marianas and Guam. Ocampo believes that granting the right to vote would help place territories "on the map politically," but he cautions that meaningful change requires more than just a vote in presidential elections.

 

"A President elected by NMI voters would likely be more inclined to listen to our needs if our delegates could vote on legislation in Congress as well," he suggested, noting the importance of full legislative representation for U.S. territories.

 

Cariaga, meanwhile, sees voting as something that could help people back home feel more connected to the broader American political landscape. “Being able to participate would make them feel like they’re still part of something, that they’re not just ignored,” she reflected. Allowing voting rights, she believes, could help bridge the gap of feeling “pushed aside and not cared about."

 

Yet, as Nishida points out, addressing this issue would require overcoming significant legal precedents, specifically the Insular Cases.

 

"The reason why the territories cannot vote for president or have congressional representation is because of an over 100+ year Supreme Court case," he explained, a reminder of the complex and often deeply rooted legal framework that separates U.S. territories from the rights enjoyed by mainland states.

 

The experiences of Guamanians and people from the Marianas on the mainland, who have newly acquired the right to vote, offer insights into the challenges and potential solutions to representation for U.S. territories.

 

Whether this newfound political power will create shifts back home remains to be seen, but as Ocampo reflects, “It feels like I’m finally on equal footing.”

 




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taffrailpermit
Nov 07

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