In Samoa, elections are held for the national unicameral parliament, the Legislative Assembly, and the ceremonial head of state, the O le Ao o le Malo. Samoan citizens directly elect 51 members of the Legislative Assembly. If the women's quota is unfulfilled following an election, which requires female members to make up at least 10% of the Legislative Assembly, up to six of the highest polling unsuccessful women contestants can be appointed to the legislature. The O le Ao o le Malo is indirectly elected by members of the Legislative Assembly.

Samoa's political system encompasses traditional Faʻamatai (chiefly) and Westminster aspects. The country has held elections since the 1870s, although voting was mostly limited to matai until the introduction of universal suffrage in 1991. Candidates for parliament still have to be holders of matai titles. The first years after Samoa gained independence in 1962 saw a period of consensus politics. Elections gradually became more competitive after factional politics emerged, and political parties began appearing after 1979. Parties usually lack clear ideologies and have often engaged in clientelism and patronage to secure support from voters.

Samoa holds direct elections for the Legislative Assembly - the unicameral chamber of Parliament, and indirect elections for the ceremonial post of O le Ao o le Malo (head of state). As Samoa uses the parliamentary system of government, the prime minister, the nation's head of government, is not directly elected. The prime minister is instead chosen from among the members of parliament (MP), and is usually the leader of the largest party or coalition in the Legislative Assembly. Elections are not held for the village councils, the government entities at the local level, which use the Faʻamatai system, the traditional pre-colonial form of Samoan governance.

Elections to the Legislative Assembly are conducted through the first-past-the-post electoral system, in which a candidate requires only a plurality of votes to win. MPs serve a term of up to five years, which was increased from three years in 1993. The prime minister can advise the O le Ao o le Malo to call a snap election. Samoans elect 51 members of the Legislative Assembly, each of whom represents a single-member constituency. Constitutional amendments passed in 2013 introduced a female quota, which took effect in 2016, mandating that at least 10% of members were women. If this quota is not met after an election, the electoral commission can appoint up to six unsuccessful female candidates to parliament who received the most votes. The number of directly elected seats was increased from 49 to 51 in 2021. Before 2021, the 10% quota equated to around five female MPs. After the increase of parliament's membership, uncertainty arose about whether the presence of five or six female MPs fulfilled the 10% quota, as a definitive number was not included in the legislation. After the 2021 constitutional crisis, the Court of Appeal ruled that parliament needed to have six female MPs to satisfy the quota. Candidates for the Legislative Assembly must be a Samoan citizen, at least 21 years old, hold a matai title and have resided in Samoa for at least three years before the nomination date. Vacancies during a legislative term are filled through by-elections, which are triggered through an MP's resignation or death. Shortly before the 2021 election, parliament passed a bill requiring MPs to vacate their seats if they change their party affiliation during a legislative term. The MPs in question must then contest a by-election to retain their seat.

The O le Ao o le Malo is elected by the Legislative Assembly, requiring a majority of votes to win. The head of state serves a five-year term, and since the passage of a constitutional amendment in 2019, can serve no more than two terms. The Constitution determined that the first two co-holders of the office, Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole and Malietoa Tanumafili II, would retain the post for life, with their successors being elected thereafter. Meaʻole died in 1963, with Tanumafili remaining the sole O le Ao o le Malo until his death in 2007. That year, the Legislative Assembly held the first election for head of state, which saw Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi, a former prime minister and son of Meaʻole, elected to the post. Candidates for O le Ao o le Malo must be a Samoan citizen, eligible to run for the Legislative Assembly, and not have been removed from office.

Universal suffrage was approved during a referendum in 1990, granting all Samoan citizens aged 21 and over the right to vote, which took effect at the 1991 general election. Before 1991, suffrage was limited to individuals with matai titles and the electorate of the Individual Voters constituency, which comprised citizens with non-Samoan ancestry. Voting has been compulsory since 2021; citizens who fail to vote must pay a 100 tālā fine. Eligible individuals who do not enrol to vote are liable to pay a 2000 tālā fine. Samoan citizens residing outside the country must travel to Samoa to vote. Electors must enrol to vote in constituencies where they are permanent residents. Voters, however, are permitted to register instead in constituencies where they do not reside, provided they are a matai seeking to stand in a constituency where their matai title is registered, are the wife of said candidate or are the spouse of a contestant running in the electorate.

Samoa first held elections in 1873 following the adoption of a constitution that year, which established a centralised government. Suffrage was limited to matai, who elected members of the bicameral parliament, the Taʻimua (upper house) and the Faipule (lower house). Members of both houses of parliament were high-ranking matai and represented the traditional political districts. Elections to the Taʻimua and the Faipule consisted of electors engaging in negotiations with one another until they reached a unanimous decision on a candidate choice.

Samoa was colonised and split in 1900, with the German Empire assuming control of the western portion of the archipelago, while the United States occupied the eastern islands. The German colonial administration retained the Faipule, but reduced it to an advisory body. New Zealand took over Western Samoa at the onset of the First World War in 1914. The New Zealand administration established a Legislative Council composed mostly of appointed members, with a few elected seats. Voting for the elected Legislative Council seats was limited to European men, initially those who owned property worth or earned a salary of £200. In 1938, the franchise was extended to all Europeans and individuals with mixed Samoan-European ancestry. Chinese residents were also granted the right to vote after gaining European status shortly before the 1951 election.