AKWESASNE — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Election Board will be holding the annual Tribal Caucus on Saturday, Onerahtohkó:wa | May 1, 2021. There are three (3) positions open: one (1) Tribal Chief, one (1) Tribal Sub-Chief, and one (1) Tribal Clerk.
The Caucus will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the former IGA Building. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and to ensure the safety of our community members, there will be no observers allowed. In order to minimize the amount of people gathering in an enclosed space, the nomination time for each position will be staggered with only the nominator(s), seconder(s), and nominee(s) for each position admitted into the building.
The caucus schedule is as follows:
• Tribal Clerk nomination time starting at 10:00 a.m.;
• Tribal Sub-Chief nomination time starting at 10:30 a.m.; and
• Tribal Chief nomination time starting at 11:00 a.m.
ATV will stream Caucus live via Facebook and the list of nominees will be posted after Caucus has ended.
All Nominees are responsible for submitting their required documents and drug testing by the close of business day on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 to Cathy Mitchell, Executive Assistant/Board Liaison. The ‘un-official’ list of all nominees will be posted by Friday, May 7, 2021.
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 Tribal Election and Referendum will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Ohiarí:ha | June 5, 2021 with Early Voting conducted on Tuesday, Ohiarí:ha | June 1st and Wednesday, Ohiarí:ha | June 2nd from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the Former IGA Building.
Due to COVID-19, Absentee ballots will be available for community members who do not want to vote in-person. Absentee ballots can be requested beginning Onerahtohkó:wa | May 3, 2021 by calling the Tribal Clerk’s office. Deadline to request absentee ballots will be 12pm, Wednesday, Onerahtohkó:wa | May 26, 2021.
Home Voting will take place on Friday, Ohiarí:ha | June 4, 2021 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., by appointment only. To schedule an appointment please contact the Tribal Clerk’s Office by 12pm, Tuesday, Ohiarí:ha | June 1, 2021.
For more information on tribal election and referendum procedures, safety protocols 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.
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.