Ten members of an American Samoan family residing in Whittier, Alaska, have been charged with voter misconduct and perjury, among other charges.
One of the men charged, Michael Pese, told Alaska’s News Source that each individual is related by blood or by marriage.
Other individuals named in the charges include Miliama Suli, Nelson Vaimoa, Salvation Mikaele, Chelsea Talia, Elisapeta Pese, Grace Galea’i, Jan Talia, Mark Pese, and Mathew Pese.
Alaska’s News Source spoke with Pese, who said he has been advised by legal counsel not to speak with the press at this time.
Each of the 10 individuals is a U.S. national born in American Samoa.
According to the state, U.S. citizenship is not granted automatically to people born in American Samoa and the Swains Island, which is different from those born in Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a statement Monday, Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore said:
“Everyone who is eligible to vote and properly registered to vote is encouraged to vote. Voting is a right of citizenship. It is how our leaders are selected and how everyday citizens get to influence policy on a local, state, and national level. To be clear, you must be a citizen to vote in Alaska in any election—federal, state, or local.”
Alaska’s News Source previously covered claims made by Michael Pese and members of his family, who believed they had been targeted by Alaska State Troopers who came to Whitter in September asking questions about the family’s citizenship and whether they had participated in local and state elections.
