The Elective Governor Acts of 1968 are a pair of acts passed by the
90th United States Congress
The 90th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 196 ...
in 1968, which provide for the
Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the
Governor of Guam
The governor of Guam ( ch, I Maga'låhen / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territor ...
to be popularly elected, rather than appointed as they had been up to that point. The two acts are individually titled the Virgin Islands Elective Governor Act
Pub.L. 90-496 82 Stat. 837, passed 23 August 1968) and the Guam Elective Governor Act
Pub.L. 90-497 82 Stat. 842, passed 1 September 1968). The impetus for the acts came from extensive lobbying efforts by both Guamanians and Virgin Islanders. The
Guam Legislature, led by Speaker
Antonio Borja Won Pat
Antonio Borja Won Pat (December 10, 1908 – May 1, 1987) was a Guamanian politician and member of the Democratic Party of Guam. He served as the first Delegate from Guam to the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1985.
Early l ...
, had begun lobbying Congress for popular elections in 1962.
In the Virgin Islands, the act stemmed from the recommendations of the territory's first Constitutional Convention in 1964–5, which included the popular election of the governor. The acts were seen as a breakthrough for political reform both in Guam and the Virgin Islands. The Guam act was controversial, however, for authorizing federal auditing of the territory's accounts by the
Interior Department—a practice that remained in place .
See also
*
Guam Organic Act of 1950
The Guam Organic Act of 1950, ( ''et seq.'', ) is a United States federal law that redesignated the island of Guam as an unincorporated territory of the United States, established executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and transferred ...
*
Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands
References
External links
Elective Governor Act 1968at Guampedia
1968 in American law
90th United States Congress
United States federal territory and statehood legislation
1968 in the United States Virgin Islands
1968 in Guam
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