Name Change Referendum Rescheduled for November 14th
Sep 25, 2020
Three Public Meeting Being Held via Zoom
AKWESASNE — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council announces that the Name Change Referendum, postponed during the 2020 Tribal Election due to COVID-19, is now proceeding. The Tribal Referendum will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2020 for Tribal members to vote on the proposed name of “Akwesasne Mohawk Tribe.”
In advance of the November 14th referendum date, three (3) public meetings will be held using the social meeting platform Zoom for Tribal members to receive information. A meeting link will be available on the Tribal Members Portal at www.srmt-nsn.gov. If you wish to dial in by telephone, please contact the Tribe’s Communications Department for the call-in number.
The first public meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 30th at 6:00 p.m. and will provide background on the name change initiative. Tribal Chief Michael Conners will lead the discussion and present the referendum question for consideration by membership. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
The second meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 14th at 6:00 p.m. Tribal Historic Preservation Director Darren Bonaparte will present on the history of the name “Akwesasne.” He will also recap previous presentations provided in 2019 at two tribal monthly meetings, which were followed by two articles: “Is it Time to Change the Name of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe?” (July 25, 2019) and “The Kanienkeha name of Akwesasne in Early Historical Record” (August 15, 2019). Both articles are accessible on the Tribal Members Portal.
The third public meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 28th at 6:00 p.m. and conclude with a recap of presentations and answers provided to questions posed by tribal members. A portion of the meeting will be afforded to the Tribal Election Board to share referendum voting information. The possibility of conducting an in-person meeting with limited number of participants is being explored.
Individuals are encouraged to provide questions in advance on the Name Change Initiative by emailing communications@srmt-nsn.gov.
Referendum voting will take place on Saturday, November 14th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Ionkwakiohkwaró:ron Tribal Administration Building located at 71 Margaret Terrance Memorial Way, Akwesasne, NY.
Early voting will be held on November 9th and 10th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Ionkwakiohkwaró:ron Tribal Administration Building. In-home voting will take place on November 13th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. by appointment only.
Due to COVID-19, absentee ballots will be available for tribal members who do not wish to vote in-person. Absentee ballots can be requested beginning October 5th by calling the Tribal Clerk’s Office. The deadline to request an absentee ballot will be Friday, November 6th by 12:00 p.m.
There will be no changes to the eligible voters list after 4:00 p.m. on November 6th. To verify your eligibility to vote, request an absentee ballot, or for questions or concerns regarding the eligible voter’s list, please contact the Tribal Clerk’s Office at (518) 358-2272.
Due to COVID-19, we ask that you please follow all safety protocols associated with the Tribal Referendum prior to in-person voting.
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The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Saint Regis Mohawk People