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Alaska Drops Voter Misconduct Charges Against American Samoan Residents
Just the facts
The Alaska Department of Law and Acting Attorney General Cori Mills announced the dismissal of all cases after determining prosecutors could not prove intent beyond a reasonable doubt. The three-judge panel on the Alaska Court of Appeals had overturned felony charges against Whittier resident Tupe Smith, who was arrested after winning a local school board election in 2023. American Samoa is the only United States territory where individuals born on its soil are classified as U.S. nationals rather than automatic U.S. citizens. Defense attorneys noted that Smith had acted on inaccurate advice from municipal officials when completing the forms.
Why this is news
Prosecutors in Alaska formally dropped criminal voter misconduct charges against 11 residents born in American Samoa who had checked a "US citizen" box on voter registration forms. The move followed a state appeals court ruling that required evidence of intentional wrongdoing for felony charges.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.