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Title 48, Territories and Insular PossessionsRelease 119-102

§1712 Election of Delegates; Majority; Runoff Election; Vacancy; Commencement of Term

Title 48 › CHAPTER 16 — DELEGATES TO CONGRESS › SUBCHAPTER I — GUAM AND VIRGIN ISLANDS › § 1712

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

People who can vote for the territory’s legislature choose the Delegate at the general election of 1972 and then every two years after that. The Delegates from the Virgin Islands and Guam are elected territory-wide and must get more than half the votes. If no one gets a majority, a runoff between the top two happens on the fourteenth day after the election. If the Delegate dies, resigns, or becomes permanently disabled, the seat stays empty until a new Delegate is elected and qualified. The Delegate’s term starts on the third day of January after the election.

Full Legal Text

Title 48, §1712

Territories and Insular Possessions, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Delegate shall be elected by the people qualified to vote for the members of the legislature of the territory he is to represent at the general election of 1972, and thereafter at such general election every second year thereafter. The Delegate from the Virgin Islands shall be elected at large, by separate ballot and by a majority of the votes cast for the office of Delegate. The Delegate from Guam shall be elected at large and by a majority of the votes cast for the office of Delegate. If no candidate receives such majority, on the fourteenth day following such election a runoff election shall be held between the candidates receiving the highest and the second highest number of votes cast for the office of Delegate. In case of a permanent vacancy in the office of Delegate, by reason of death, resignation, or permanent disability, the office of Delegate shall remain vacant until a successor shall have been elected and qualified.
(b)The term of the Delegate shall commence on the third day of January following the date of the election.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1998—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–209 inserted “from the Virgin Islands” before “shall be elected at large” and inserted “The Delegate from Guam shall be elected at large and by a majority of the votes cast for the office of Delegate.” before “If no candidate receives such majority”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

48 U.S.C. § 1712

Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102