Voters

Samoans urged to stand together regardless of election outcome

Electoral officials are still carrying out the final count with official results expected by the end of this week or early next week.

Safua Akeli Amaama, the former director for Samoa Studies at the Samoa National University, now heads New Zealand history and Pacific cultures at Te Papa Museum in Wellington.

Safua told RNZ Dateline Pacific the unfolding election results are not only unprecedented for Samoan politics but also for Samoan women.

Samoa Elections candidates cautioned about bribery penalties

The candidates have been warned it is illegal and labeled as an election bribery under the law with a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment if convicted.

The recipients of gifts given as a bribe also stand to be prosecuted under the law with similar penalties, if found guilty.

Samoa’s Electoral Commissioner Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio is reminding voters and candidates, to be mindful of the law.

Mystery robocalls urge US voters to 'stay home'

Millions of voters have reportedly received automated calls telling them to "stay safe and stay home".

Americans are voting in one of the most divisive presidential polls in decades, pitting incumbent Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Joe Biden.

The origins of the calls remain unclear, and some have not specifically mentioned voting.

"There's a little bit of confusion about this one across the industry," Giulia Porter, vice president at RoboKiller, a company that fights robocalls, told the Reuters news agency.

Samoa issues fines for by-election abstentions

However, Samoa's Electoral Commissioner Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio told the Samoa Observer that the number may decrease because they have yet to remove names of the deceased from the roll as well as those who live abroad.

The by-election at Fa'asaleleaga Number 2 Electoral Constituency is the first under new amendments passed early this year which now makes it compulsory for all registered voters to vote.

The commissioner also urged eligible voters to register as it is now also illegal for people not to register.