In straw poll that has historically predicted presidency, Guam voters choose Joe Biden
HAGÅTÑA, Guam — In a straw poll that has historically predicted the winner of the presidency, Guam voters chose former Vice President Joe Biden to win the presidential election.
This year, according to unofficial results, 29,034 people voted in the General Election, and of those 26,901 voted in the straw poll. Biden got 14,445, or 55.36%, of the votes while President Donald Trump got 10,938, or 41.92%, of the vote.
The straw poll — an unofficial ballot that measures opinion — has no impact on who actually wins the U.S. presidency. Although all Guam voters are American citizens, their votes in the presidential race do not count because Guam has no representation in the Electoral College. Unlike U.S. citizens who live in foreign countries, Guam residents are not allowed to vote absentee from the states.
Voters in Guam have participated in a straw poll for president since 1980 — and, since that time, they have correctly predicted the outcome of the election, except in 2016. But a lot of forecasters got it wrong that year.
Democrat Hillary Clinton received 71.6% of the island's vote in 2016, and Republican Donald Trump received 24.2%.
2016 Election: Guam, which has historically predicted election winner, picks Clinton
In 1996, an Election Day typhoon delayed voting. By the time islanders went to the polls, the rest of the country had already elected Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
Contributing: Dana Williams, (Guam) Pacific Daily News.