Why does Guam vote for President?

[Orangepeel]

Forgive my ignorance, but why is Guam voting for President? They don't have any electoral votes.

Link via Drudge who has a story about * winning Guam. :wtf:
http://www.guampdn.com/news/updates/9807.html

Is this like the 7-11 coffee cup poll or is there some significance?

(I apologize for asking a question that stemmed from a drudge link, but I'm genuinely curious)

[theorist]

1. There's a military base there. n/t

[Tim_in_HK]

2. Because they're citizens.

Same as Puerto Rico.

But don't get any electoral college votes, I believe.

[calico1]

4. Puerto Ricans cannot vote for

President unless they reside in the mainland, even though they are born U.S. citizens. Puerto Rico can send delegates to the Conventions but they don't vote for President and they don't have any electoral votes.

[Tim_in_HK]

7. Is that right?

Didn't know that.

I think I assumed they could vote for Prez, but no electoral votes.

[calico1]

8. Yes. I lived there for 12 years.

Starting with the 1980 elections (I'm pretty sure it was 1980) they allowed residents to vote in primaries. But that's it. Good news is they can still go to war though and get drafted if it were ever reinstated. :eyes:

[onenote]

3. do drudge's totals make sense

He has chimpy with 17,000-plus and K/E with 9000-plus. THe one total I could find from 2000 had chimpy with 18,000-plus and Gore with 16,000 plus. What happened this time...was it so nice outside that nearly 10,000 voters stayed home?

onenote

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Cuz they're US Citizens

[exsoccermom]

6. It's a US territory and gets to vote.

Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands also get to vote. They also have nonvoting representatives to the House of Representatives.

[calico1]

9. No, that is incorrect.

Residents of U.S. territories (unless they are mainlanders stationed at a base) cannot vote and territories don't have electoral votes. You are correct about the other part (non voting representatives).

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

10. It must stink to live in a US territory then.

They don't get any say in their government, at least on a federal level.

[republicansareevil]

11. I don't understand. No EV -> no vote.

If your vote isn't applied toward the electoral college, isn't it essentially meaningless?

[Anarcho-Socialist]

12. I don't see why the U.S. territories shouldn't be given some EVs

Even if Guam, Puerto Rico and the other territories were grouped together just for the presidential election and given say 3 electoral votes.