As part of the United States, the US Virgin Islands are an organized, but unincorporated territory of the US. The islanders are considered US citizens, but they cannot vote in the US Presidential elections. The Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, the Independent Citizens Movement (ICM) and the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands are the main political parties on the islands. All other candidates run as independents in the races.
The US Virgin Islands elect a delegate to Congress but this delegate cannot participate in floor votes but they are able to vote in committee.
For the islands, at a more territorial level, elect 15 senators for a two-year term to the unicameral Virgin Islands Legislature. The selection of the senators is by district; seven senators are elected from the St. Croix district, seven from St. Thomas and St. John and then one senator at-large who must be a resident of St. John.
The islands also elect a territorial governor every four years. Prior to 1970, the President of the US appointed the governor. The islands also have both a District Court as well as a Superior Court. The judges are appointed by the both the President and the governor.
The US Congress has offered a choice to the citizens of the islands to be independent, status quo, or statehood. None of these have attracted enough interest or voter turnouts so the islands will stay at their current status of territory to the US. It has been suggested that the possible future Puerto Rican statehood might set the ball in motion for other territories to increase their political interest in their status.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.