TAHLEQUAH – Keetoowah members wishing to have their name on the ballot for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma’s tribal election in November can declare their candidacy to the Election Board starting August 1.
The complete candidacy filing period will run on the business days between Aug. 1 and Aug. 14 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the UKB Election Board Office. This year’s election will see all nine district representative seats and all four officer seats including the chief, assistant chief, secretary and treasurer positions up for election.
Here’s some Candidate Filing FYI
Candidates for Chief or Assistant Chief must be at least 35-years-old and be a resident of the Old Cherokee Nation and an exclusive UKB member for at least a year prior to filing. The filing fee for Chief is $500, while Assistant Chief is $400.
Candidates for Secretary or Treasurer must be at least 21-years-old and have been a resident of the Old Cherokee Nation and an exclusive UKB member at least a year prior to filing. The filing fee for Secretary or Treasurer position is $400.
Candidates for District Representative must be at least 21-years-old and have been a resident of the district for 12 months to be represented and an exclusive UKB member at least five years prior to filing. The filing fee for District Representative is $250.
All filling fees must be paid by money order or cashier’s check and are non-refundable.
Candidates will also be required to sign documentation granting the board permission to run a Criminal History Record report with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Background checks will be completed within ten business days of the closing of the candidate filing period.
The Election Board will make a list available of all eligible candidates after background checks are completed. If a candidate is disqualified, the Election Board will not disclose the reason to the public.
To be eligible to vote, Keetoowahs must be 21 or older by election day, have been an exclusive Keetoowah member for at least six months, be a resident or affiliated with a particular district and be listed in the official Voter List in the district of which the member wishes to vote. They must also present their Keetoowah ID on the day of the election to verify identity.
According to the Keetoowah Election Ordinance, an eligible voter residing in the territory known as the “Old Cherokee Nation” will be allowed to vote in the district in which they have resided for a period of three months prior to the election.
If the Keetoowah has changed residences in the three months prior to voting, they will “not be entitled to vote in the new district” until the next election. Instead, voters must vote in the old district of which their name appears on the Voters List. No absentee voting shall be permitted. However, voters who live out of the Old Cherokee Nation boundaries can choose a district in which to vote if they can physically be present in that district to vote on election day.
For voters with physical disabilities, precinct workers will be on hand at each polling place to assist with the voting process. For more information, click here.
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