Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Caucus for Special Election to be held October 1st

Aug 31, 2022

AKWESASNE -- The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Election Board will be holding a Tribal Caucus for a Special Election on Saturday, Kenténha | October 1, 2022. The Special Election is for the initial election for all Residency Board positions to establish staggered three (3)-year terms, with:

Two (2) primary and one (1) alternate Residency Board members being elected to a one (1)-year term;
Two (2) primary and one (1) alternate Residency Board members being elect to a two (2)-year term; and
One (1) primary Residency Board member being elected to a three (3)-year term.

In addition to the general eligibility criteria for candidates under the SRMT Election and Referendum Ordinance, Residency Board members must possess the following qualifications:

Be a member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe;
Be at least twenty-five (25) years old (on date of election);
Be of good moral character and not have been convicted of a serious crime;
Be willing to take, and must pass, a background check administered by the Tribe and/or Tribal Police; and
Be willing and capable of maintaining communication through technology (email, texts, mobile phone) so as to be accessible to the Board.

The Caucus will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Ionkwakiohkwaro:ron Administration Building, 71 Margaret Terrance Memorial Way, immediately following the October Monthly Tribal Meeting.

The Caucus schedule is as follows:

Five (5) Primary Residency Board member seats
Two (2) Alternate Residency Board member seats

Observers are welcomed and ATV will stream the Caucus live via Facebook and the list of nominees will be posted after the Caucus has ended.

All Nominees are responsible for submitting their required documents and drug testing by the close of business day on Wednesday, Kenténha | October 5, 2022, to Cathy Mitchell, Executive Assistant/Board Liaison. The ‘un-official’ list of all candidates will be posted by Friday, Kenténha | October 7, 2022.

In accordance with the Election and Referendum Ordinance, nominators must be an eligible voter and must:

Be at least eighteen (18) years of age,
Be an enrolled member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe,
Reside in the United States or in the U.S. portion of Akwesasne for at least six months immediately prior to the election and,
Have their name on the most current eligible voters list.

Nominees for all elected positions must be present to accept or refuse the nomination at the time of the Caucus.

The deadline to be added to the eligible voter’s list is Friday, Kenténha | October 21, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. by contacting the Tribal Clerk’s office.

The Tribal Special Election will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Kenténha | October 29, 2022, with Early Voting conducted on Tuesday, Kenténha | October 25^th and Wednesday, Kenténha | October 26^th from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Ionkwakiohkwaro:ron Administration Building, located at 71 Margaret Terrance Memorial Way.

Absentee ballots will be available for community members who do not want to vote in-person. Absentee ballots can be requested beginning Kenténha | October 11, 2022, by calling the Tribal Clerk’s office. Deadline to request absentee ballots will be 12:00 p.m., Wednesday, Kenténha | October 26, 2022.

Home Voting will take place on Friday, Kenténha | October 28, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., by appointment only. In-home voting will only be available for home bound eligible voters residing on the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation, as defined by the Treaty of 1796. To schedule an appointment please contact the Tribal Clerk’s office by 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, Kenténha | October 26, 2022.

For more information on Tribal Special Election Procedures and Candidate Eligibility, please visit the Election Board page on the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s website, at www.srmt-nsn.gov/government/committees/election_board, to download the Election and Referendum Ordinance. or email election.board@srmt-nsn.gov.

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.

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