When Tupe Smith heard a knock at her door on Nov. 30, 2023, she thought it was her mother-in-law coming to see her grandkids. Instead, two Alaska State Troopers stood outside. They arrested her in front of her children — and in front of the small town where she had lived and worked since 2017.
“This was the lowest point of my life,” Smith said in a prepared statement. “I never thought I would go through something like this.”
Smith was born in American Samoa, a United States territory, and moved to Whittier, Alaska, to be closer to family. A regular volunteer at Whittier’s only public school — where nearly half of the students are Samoan — Smith was encouraged by teachers and community members to run for the local school board. In 2023, she was elected with 96% of the vote.
Like many American Samoans living in Alaska, Smith said she understood that she could vote in state and local elections and, therefore, run for school board. When she registered to vote, she said election officials instructed her to check the “U.S. citizen” box on the forms, since no option was available for “U.S. nationals.”
According to the state’s argument, it doesn’t matter what officials told Smith. The court ruled that if she “knowingly and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen,” she could be found guilty of voter misconduct — a felony that carries up to five years in prison. In February, a petition for review of her case was granted.
“If the elections office can’t figure this out, how are election workers or American Samoans supposed to figure it out when they’re given this broad range of contradictory information?” said Neil Weare, Co-Director of Right to Democracy, the organization representing Smith in her legal defense….
See also Jonson Kuhn, Voter misconduct hearing follows solidarity event for 10 Whittier American Samoan family members charged in case, Alaska’s News Source, May 2, 2025
Michelle Theriault Boots, Dozens rally to support American Samoan family in Whittier charged with voter fraud ahead of first court appearance, ADN, May 2, 2025