 The benign neglect of this great nation to the territories has got to end. The people have been forgotten. People born in U.S. territories are U.S. citizens. However, they can't vote for president. U.S. Virgin Islands Congresswoman Plaskit joins the chorus of voices, sounding off on the issue for decades. In 2015, Senator Elizabeth Warren added her voice to the conversation. These four million Americans have almost no say in federal decision-making, even when it directly affects the islands they live on. The U.S. is one of the few nations still holding on to its territories, each of them with their own complex political relationship, deep history of colonization, and a growing military presence. These island territories also have a disproportionate amount of their sons and daughters serving in the military, prompting some to say that they can't vote for the commander-in-chief who sends their children into war. Residents born in American Samoa are considered U.S. nationals. Others who live in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands are U.S. citizens. However, they can't vote for president. For the NMI specifically, a covenant was established with the U.S. recognizing the U.S. sovereignty, but limiting in some way applicability of federal law. U.S. citizens of territories may not have a voice in the Oval Office, however, they do elect one non-voting member to Congress who serves a two-year term. I don't have a vote on the floor on the final passage of the bill. I and others, there are six of us, including the delegate from the District of Columbia. Non-voting members do have some saying committee. Recently, local parties were able to vote for nominees of national parties at their respective national conventions. I support very much the long effort of the District of Columbia to allow its delegate to have a vote. I think that would be a step that improves our effort to eventually have a vote. The indigenous Chamorro people of the Marianas have also brought opposing perspectives. For Juanita Masca Mandiola from the island of Tinian, preserving cultural identity and land is a priority. Politically, it's going to be suicide for who we are as people. And I don't think that we are ready as people to accept the entire responsibility of what it's like to be a part of the U.S. political arena. She says the U.S. is chipping away the covenant meant to maintain island self-governance. We have adopted that saying completely is if it isn't broken, don't fix it. But how can we know it's broken if we haven't looked at it? Reporting for CalTV News, I'm Thomas Melania.