30 Jul 2013

American Samoa's House of Representatives confirms election officer

7:20 am on 30 July 2013

American Samoa's House of Representatives has confirmed Tuaolo Manaia Fruean to serve as Chief Election Officer.

The vote was 16 to 2.

Tuaolo has been a judge, commissioner of public safety, senator and House representative.

During his confirmation hearing Tuaolo revealed that he and his staff are working on a project that would allow voters to cast their ballots using voting cards without the voter having to travel to his or her polling station.

For example, he said if the voter is a cannery employee who is a registered voter in Leone, the employee does not have to take leave from work to travel all the way to Leone to cast his ballot if he is at work in Atu'u.

Tuaolo said instead, he can go to a centralized voting machine, swipe his voting card and get access to a ballot for his polling station.