View source for Politics of the United States Virgin Islands

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Politics of the U.S. Virgin Islands}}
'''Politics of the United States Virgin Islands''' takes place in a framework of a [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[Dependent territory|dependency]], whereby the [[List of governors of the United States Virgin Islands|governor]] is the head of the territory's government, and of a [[multi-party system]]. [[United States Virgin Islands]] are an unincorporated and [[organized territory]] of the [[United States]], administered by the [[Office of Insular Affairs]] of the [[United States Department of the Interior]]. [[Executive (government)|Executive power]] is exercised by the local government of the Virgin Islands. The [[Independence of the judiciary|judiciary is independent]] of the executive and the legislature.

Virgin Islands residents are [[United States nationality law|U.S. citizens]] but the territory has no electoral votes to cast for the president or vice president of the U.S. The territory participates in the nominating processes (caucuses).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_election_in_the_U.S._Virgin_Islands,_2016 |title=Presidential election in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 2016 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=July 1, 2016 |website=Ballotpedia |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=February 24, 2017}}</ref> Citizens cannot elect voting [[Member of Congress|members of Congress]]. However, in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], they are represented by a [[List of Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from U.S. Virgin Islands|delegate]], who can vote in [[United States Congressional committee|congressional committees]] but not in the House itself. Such delegates can speak on the U.S. House floor, introduce bills and offer amendments but cannot vote during business as the [[Committee_of_the_Whole_(United_States_House_of_Representatives)|Committee of the Whole]] or on final passage of legislation. The USVI has been allowed to have non-voting representation since 1972. 
== Federal representation ==

Virgin Islands residents can vote fully in all elections if they become a resident of one of the 50 [[U.S. state]]s. If residents of one of the 50 states become residents of the Virgin Islands, they can no longer vote for President or for voting members of Congress.<ref name="2020-lawsuit-filed">{{Cite news | newspaper = USA Today | url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2020/10/09/eleciton-2020-voting-rights-lawsuit-filed-residents-guam-us-virgin-islands/5946891002/ | date = 2020-10-09 | author = <!-- not stated, "staff report" --> | title = Federal voting rights lawsuit filed by residents of Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands}}</ref>

The voting rights of Virgin Islanders have been the subject of litigation. A federal lawsuit was filed in 2011 in the District Court of the Virgin Islands and was subsequently appealed to the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/conference-lawsuit-focus-on-citizenship-rights-for-residents-of-u-s-territories-1.1636130|title=Conference, lawsuit focus on citizenship rights for residents of U.S. territories|author=ALDETH LEWIN (Daily News Staff)|work=virginislandsdailynews.com}}</ref> to provide Virgin Islanders with the fundamental right to be represented in Congress and vote for U.S. President.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/v-i-attorney-waging-battle-to-gain-federal-vote-for-usvi-1.1235802#axzz1fKP7wFKN | title=V.I. attorney waging battle to gain federal vote for USVI | author=Michael Todd (Daily News Staff)| newspaper = Virgin Islands Daily News | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120505135851/http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/v-i-attorney-waging-battle-to-gain-federal-vote-for-usvi-1.1235802 | archive-date = 2012-05-05 | url-status = dead }}</ref> A similar lawsuit was filed in 2020.<ref name="2020-lawsuit-filed"/>

==Law==
The [[Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands]] of 1954<ref>{{USStatute|83|517|68|497|1954|07|22}}</ref> is the current [[Organic Act]] defining the [[government of the United States Virgin Islands]], which were acquired by the United States through the [[Treaty of the Danish West Indies]] of 1916. It replaced the [[Organic Act of the Virgin Islands of the United States|Organic Act of the Virgin Islands]] of 1936<ref>{{USStatute|74|749|49|1807|1936|06|22}}</ref> and earlier temporary provisions.<ref>{{USStatute|64|389|39|1132|1917|03|03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XxT8qxBjwoUC | page = 290 | title = A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States | author-first = Isaac | author-last = Dookhan | publisher = Canoe Press | year = 1994 | isbn = 9789768125057}}</ref>

The [[Virgin Islands Elective Governor Act]]<ref>{{USStatute|90|496|82|837|1968|08|23}}</ref> made the governor an elected office.<ref>{{USStatute|98|213|97|1459|1983|12|08}}</ref>{{sfn|Dookhan|1994|p=293}} Further amendments in 1984 removed the right to [[indictment]] for certain crimes and the jurisdiction of the [[admiralty court]]s.<ref>{{USPL|98|454}} {{USStatute|98|454|98|1732|1984|10|05}}</ref>

There have been several attempts at a constitution. The most recent attempt was the [[Fifth Constitutional Convention of the U.S. Virgin Islands]] which passed a proposed constitution in May 2009 but was rejected by Congress in June 2010.

==Executive branch==
{{See also|List of governors of the United States Virgin Islands}}

{{Office-table}}
|[[President of the United States]]
|[[Donald Trump]]
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|20 January 2025
|-
|[[List of United States Virgin Islands Governors|Governor]]
|[[Albert Bryan (politician)|Albert Bryan]]
|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| 7 January 2019
|-
|[[Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands|Lieutenant Governor]]
|[[Tregenza Roach]]
|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| 7 January 2019
|}
The [[Governor (United States)|governor]] and the [[lieutenant governor]] are elected on the same ticket by [[Direct election|popular vote]] for four-year terms.<ref>{{UnitedStatesCode|48|1591}}.</ref>

==Legislative branch==
The Virgin Islands's territorial legislature is the 15-member [[Legislature of the Virgin Islands]]. The body is [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] and comprises seven senators from the district of [[Saint Croix]], seven senators from the district of [[Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]] and [[Saint John, United States Virgin Islands|Saint John]], and one senator at-large (who must be a resident of Saint John). They are elected for a two-year term to the territorial legislature. There is no limit as to the number of terms they can serve.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Legislature_of_the_Virgin_Islands |title=Legislature of the Virgin Islands |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=July 1, 2016 |website=Ballotpedia |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=February 24, 2017}}</ref>

==Political parties and elections==
{{Elect|List of political parties in the U.S. Virgin Islands|Elections in the U.S. Virgin Islands}}

==Political party identification==
===By age group===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: center;"
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | Party
! colspan="2"| Under 18
! colspan="2"| 18 to 24
! colspan="2"| 25 to 44
! colspan="2"| 45 to 65
! colspan="2"| 66 and over
! colspan="2"| Total
|-
! #
! %
! #
! %
! #
! %
! #
! %
! #
! %
! #
! %
|-
! style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |
![[Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands|DEM]]
| 0
| 0%
| 678
| 45.68%
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | '''3,156'''
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | '''57.99%'''
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | '''8,522'''
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | '''68.35%'''
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | '''7,935'''
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | '''73.86%'''
! 20,291
! 67.32%
|-
! style="background-color:{{party color|Independent Citizens Movement}}" |
![[Independent Citizens Movement|ICM]]
| 0
| 0%
| 15
| 1.01%
| 82
| 1.50%
| 306
| 2.45%
| 366
| 3.40%
! 769
! 2.55%
|-
! style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |
![[Republican Party of the Virgin Islands|REP]]
| 0
| 0%
| 65
| 4.38%
| 175
| 3.21%
| 448
| 3.59%
| 364
| 3.38%
! 1,052
! 3.49%
|-
! style="background-color:{{party color|Independent (US)}}" |
![[Independent voter|NON]]
|{{Party shading/Independent (US)}}| '''1'''
|{{Party shading/Independent (US)}}| '''100%'''
|{{Party shading/Independent (US)}}| '''726'''
|{{Party shading/Independent (US)}}| '''48.92%'''
| 2,029
| 37.28%
| 3,192
| 25.60%
| 2,078
| 19.34%
! 8,026
! 26.63%
|-
! style="background-color:#000000" |
! Total
! 1
! 0.003%
! 1,484
! 4.92%
! 5,442
! 18.05%
! 12,468
! 41.36%
! 10,743
! 35.64%
! colspan="2"| 30,138
|}

==Judicial branch==
The U.S. Virgin Islands has a [[District Court of the United States Virgin Islands|District Court]], a [[United States Virgin Islands Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] and a [[United States Virgin Islands Superior Court|Superior Court]].

Judges on the District Court are appointed by the president for ten year terms, subject to Senate confirmation. They may serve more than one term. This is a federal court, established in 1936, with jurisdiction over the US Virgin Islands, with diversity jurisdiction and bankruptcy jurisdiction. Appeals of this court's decisions are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. One courthouse is located in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and one is in Christiansted, St. Croix.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/District_Court_of_the_Virgin_Islands |title=District Court of the Virgin Islands |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=July 1, 2016 |website=Ballotpedia |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=February 24, 2017}}</ref>
 
Judges of the USVI Supreme Court and Superior Court are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislative body.

==Administrative divisions==
The US Virgin Islands have no local governments, the [[US Census Bureau|Census Bureau]] divides them into three [[county equivalent]]s: [[Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands|Saint Croix]], [[Saint John, United States Virgin Islands|Saint John]], and [[Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]].<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch7GARM.pdf | work = Geographic Areas Reference Manual | title = Puerto Rico and the Outlying Areas | publisher = Bureau of the Census | year = 1994 | access-date = 2023-05-09 | page = 7-40}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{U.S. Virgin Islands}}
{{Politics in the United States}}
{{Governments of the United States}}
{{North America in topic|Politics of}}
{{North America topic|prefix=Government of|title=Governments of North America}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of The United States Virgin Islands}}
[[Category:Politics of the United States Virgin Islands| ]]
[[Category:Constitutions of country subdivisions|United States Virgin Islands]]