Letter to the Editor: Your vote carries more weight than you know

 While we are just a few days into the new year, we are well into the 2026 Guam election cycle. Many different organizations will be pushing hard to get folks to the polls and cast their vote for those candidates who they believe best represent today’s issues and those of the foreseeable future.

Whether these organizations are faith-based, service-oriented, business, philanthropic or political, the arguments will be made for and against candidates all who can best take care of those issues that reflect their respective value systems.

When we think about island elections, our minds often jump to the gubernatorial, congressional or senatorial races. However, the truth is that local elections shape our daily lives more than we often realize. From the roads we drive on to the schools in our villages, the leaders we elect locally make decisions that directly impact our respective communities. From Yigo to Malesso, these realities and many others are why voting in local elections is one of the most powerful ways to make a difference.

Since the start of the new millennium, local elections have seen low voter turnout. While your vote is powerful, many just have not exercised this

important right as a member of the American family.

When you vote, your voice is amplified. Let that voice be heard on Aug. 1, 2026. Register to vote. 

Talk with friends and family about the issues. Read and research more on the

 efforts to solve the legacy problems facing Guam.

Then plan to vote in the 2026 Guam primary election. Do the same on Nov. 3, 2026 in the 2026 Guam general election. Your vote carries more weight than you know.

 Shawn Gumataotao

Chairman, Republican Party of Guam

Subscribe to

our monthly

digital edition