Tuesday Announced As Legal Holiday For Runoff Election

Tuesday, November 20, will be a legal holiday across the territory as voters head to the polls again to vote in the runoff election scheduled for that day, Government House has announced.

All government offices will be closed, in accordance with Title 18 of the Virgin Islands Code. It states that election days are legal holidays and outlines specific provisions for all employees who are required to work on those days, particularly that they are entitled to two hours off from their jobs to vote without loss of pay.

Governor Kenneth Mapp is in the battle of his political life as he attempts to fend off the Bryan-Roach campaign, which has been on the receiving end of a number of endorsements after coming out ahead of Mr. Mapp during the General Election, but not collecting enough votes — 50 plus 1 percent — needed to clinch victory. (Mr. Bryan ended the night of Nov. 6 with 37.93 percent of the votes, to Mr. Mapp’s 33.721 percent.) Now, Mr. Mapp and Mr. Bryan are in a battle to the end, and voters will head to the poll one last time this election cycle on November 20 to decide who will lead the U.S. Virgin Islands for the next four years.

TITLE 18 Elections
Chapter 1. General Provisions
18 V.I.C. § 3 (2014)

§ 3. Election days as legal holidays; time off to vote; acts done on Sundays or other legal holidays

(a) The day on which general elections are held shall be a legal holiday in the Virgin Islands, while all primary elections shall be held on a Saturday. All employees who are required to work on those days shall be entitled to two hours off from their jobs without loss of pay to vote in all primaries and elections, provided that they notify their employers before such primaries or elections of their intention to be absent for the purpose of voting.

(b) No part of any day fixed for the performance of any duties by any person or official under this title shall be deemed a Sunday or other legal holiday so as to affect the legality of any work done for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this title, or the right of any person to any compensation herein provided for rendering any service required hereby, or so as to relieve any person from doing on such day whatever is necessary for such purposes, and such services are hereby declared to be necessary public services.