Government of the Virgin Islands

The U.S. Virgin Islands are an organized, unincorporated U.S. Territory, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of the Interior. Although U.S. citizens, Virgin Islands residents cannot vote in presidential elections. They may participate in presidential primaries and elect one non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, currently Donna Christensen (D). Virgin Islands residents can vote fully in all elections if they become resident in one of the 50 U.S. states.

Governor

The U.S. Virgin Islands has elected a territorial governor every four years since 1970. Previous governors were appointed by the President of the United States. The present governor, John Percy de Jongh, Jr. (D), took office January 1, 2007.

Legislature

At the territorial level, 15 senators - seven from the district of Saint Croix, seven from the district of Saint Thomas and Saint John, and one senator at-large who must be a resident of Saint John - are elected for two-year terms to the unicameral Virgin Islands Legislature.

Judiciary

The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The U.S. Virgin Islands operates under U.S. law. It has a District Court, Superior Court and a Supreme Court. The District Court is responsible for federal law, while the Superior Court is responsible for Virgin Islands law at the trial level and the Supreme Court is responsible for appeals from the Superior Court for all appeals filed on or after January 29, 2007. Appeals filed prior to that date are heard by the Appellate Division of the District Court. District Court judges are appointed by the President, while Superior Court and Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Governor.

Political Parties

The main political parties in the U.S. Virgin Islands are the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, the Independent Citizens Movement and the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands. Additional candidates run as independents.