NOTICE OF ELECTION

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2008

PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION NO.8-08

 

TO ELECT FOUR DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES FOR A FOUR YEAR TERM, ONE EACH FROM THE PONEMAH, REDBY, RED LAKE AND LITTLE ROCK DISTRICTS OR UNTIL A SUCCESSOR IS DULY ELECTED, TO THE RED LAKE TRIBAL COUNCIL, RED LAKE BAND OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS; AND TO VOTE ON ANY REFERENDA SUBMITTED BY THE RED LAKE TRIBAL COUNCIL.

 

 

TO:  MEMBERS OF THE RED LAKE BAND OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS

 

Notice is hereby given of an election to be held by secret ballot on Wednesday, May 21, 2008, to elect four District Representatives for a four year term, one from the Ponemah District, one from the Redby District, one from the Red Lake District and one from the Little Rock District to serve on the Tribal Council of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.  This announcement is made in accordance with Article V of the Revised Constitution and By-Laws of the Red Lake Band and Chapter 1800 of the Tribal Code as revised in Resolution No. 107-06 of June 13, 2006.  The incumbents are Glenda Martin, Ponemah District Representative; Allen Pemberton, Redby District Representative; Donald May, Red Lake District Representative and Richard Barrett, Sr., Little Rock District Representative. 

 

Any enrolled member of the Red Lake Band 18 years of age and over on election day shall be entitled to vote in this election.

 

Any eligible voter 25 years of age and over on election day shall be eligible to become a candidate for District Representative from his/her District provided requirements of the Election Code are met.

 

Pursuant to and in accordance with the Referendum of May 24, 1978, any otherwise eligible candidate to run as a district representative, beginning in the year 1980, shall have been a bona fide resident of the district he is to represent for a period of one year next preceding the election date.

 

Pursuant to and in accordance with the Referendum of May 16, 1982, any otherwise eligible candidate shall be ineligible to become a candidate in any Tribal Election if he or she has been convicted or is under indictment for a criminal felony offense or if he or she has been removed for any reason from the Tribal Council.  Pursuant to and in accordance with the Referendum of May 15, 1996, where there are two or more candidates for any office, a candidate must win a majority of votes to be elected.  If no candidate achieves the required majority, a run-off election between the candidates with the two highest vote totals shall be conducted.

 

Candidates must file their notice of candidacy with the Secretary of the Tribal Council beginning March 7, 2008, and no later than March 22, 2008, at 4:00 p.m.  Such notice of candidacy shall be in writing, and shall include the candidate’s name, age, residence, voting district and certification that he or she has never been convicted of nor is currently under indictment for a criminal felony offense and that he or she has never been removed for any reason from the Tribal Council and shall be signed and sworn to before a Notary Public.  Eligibility of candidates will be certified by the Tribal Council at least 30 days before the election date.

 

A candidate filing for a District Representative seat shall pay a filing fee of $75.00.  This fee shall be paid at the time of filing.

 

Election rules and regulations contained within the Election Code provide for a filing period, filing fee, certification of eligibility, etc., and therefore, write-in candidates shall be ineligible and each District Election Board and the General Election Board are hereby instructed not to consider, list or count votes for write-in candidates.

 

 

The candidates in the election receiving a majority of votes shall serve for a term of four years on the Tribal Council or until the successor is determined.

 

Polls will be open between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. at the following Reservation district polling places:

 

                        PONEMAH COMMUNITY CENTER

                        REDBY COMMUNITY CENTER

                        RED LAKE COMMUNITY CENTER

                        LITTLE ROCK COMMUNITY CENTER

 

Tribal members may cast their absentee ballots at the Minneapolis American Indian Center between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in accordance with 1806.11, subd. 2.

 

Red Lake Reservation resident members, (members physically residing on the reservation), shall vote within the District in which they reside.  Lists of eligible voters will be posted throughout the reservation at least 35 days before the election.  Reservation districts and boundary lines for the districts are those defined in Article V Section 6 c of the Revised Constitution and By-Laws. 

 

The Secretary of the Tribal Council will send a form to be used in requesting a ballot to each non-resident whose address is known with this election announcement.  Such form will require that applicants for ballots sign the form, and give their former district residence on the reservation.  The husband, in instance of absentee member balloting (head of family) if living with his wife, shall be the one determining the district in which both he and his wife shall vote for a district representative.

 

A member applicant may use his own form of request letter providing he or she supplies the necessary information for identity.  Non-resident members of the Band may request absentee ballots from the Chairperson, Absentee Ballot Committee, P.O. Box 544, Red Lake, MN  56671.  One ballot showing the candidates for District Representative and any referenda will be sent to each qualifying member.

 

After at least five days following the posting of duly filed and eligible candidates, members on the resident voter list who for any reason have requested and changed from resident to absentee voter list with the Secretary of the Tribal Council who personally appear at the office of the Secretary, or her authorized representative, may vote by signing for and casting their ballots then and there, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  In addition, the absentee ballot committee shall make itself available on the weekend days of Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to receive in person absentee ballots in the Red Lake Nation College, Red Lake, Minnesota, during the last two weekends prior to the election.

 

Absentee ballots must be returned in person or mailed to and received by the Chairperson, Absentee Ballot Committee, P.O. Box 544, Red Lake, MN, 56671, on or before 8:00 p.m. on election day, Wednesday, May 21, 2008.

 

Pursuant and in accordance with Section 1806.11, subd. 2 of the Election Ordinance, the absentee ballot committee shall make itself available two days before the election in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the purpose of distributing and accepting absentee ballots from non-resident voters who are unable to mail or submit, in person, their absentee ballots for whatever reason.  Members of the Absentee Ballot Committee will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, May 19, 2008, at the following location:

 

                        MINNEAPOLIS AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER

                        1530 EAST FRANKLIN AVENUE

                        MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

 

The Tribal Council shall appoint District Election Boards who will serve on the Reservation at each polling place on election day.  No person other than the district election board members and poll watchers as provided for in the Election Code shall be allowed in the room during the counting of the ballots.  The Supervisors of each District Election Board and the Absentee Ballot Committee Chairperson will constitute a General Election Board who shall certify the results of the election.  The General Election Board shall publish and post the results of the election in each voting district, and in other public places throughout the reservation for the information of the Tribal members.

 

Any member of the Red Lake Band voting in the election may contest the results of the election within five (5) days following the posting of the election results.  A member contesting the results of the election shall prepare a written statement showing reasons for contest and file such statement with the Chairperson of the General Election Board.  The full General Election Board shall meet, consider and rule on the written request of the contesting member within a reasonable period of up to ten (10) days and may conduct a recount of ballots should it be deemed justifiable.  No person other than the General Election Board shall be present at the meeting(s) of the General Election Board.

 

 

In the event there is a need for a run-off election, such election shall be held within sixty (60) days, exclusive of the five (5) day contest period, and exclusive of a reasonable period of up to ten (10) days for the consideration of any contest.  The Run-off date will be set by the Tribal Council.

 

Decisions of the General Election Board made in accordance with the Election Code shall be final.

 

FOR                : 10

AGAINST      :   0

 

 

 

 

 

                                                            Floyd Jourdain, Jr., Chairman

 

 

            I, the undersigned Secretary of the Red Lake Tribal Council, hereby certify that the above Notice of Election was duly presented and approved at a duly held Special Tribal Council Meeting held on Friday, January 25, 2008, with a quorum present, at the Red Lake Nation Headquarters, Red Lake.

 

 

                                                           

                                                            Kathryn Beaulieu, Secretary