July 20, 2012 –
Election board members, left to right, Voncile Mitchell, Arlene Lingo and Sherri Landis during the first phase of the election in April. Landis is the newest member of the board and was sworn in to office March 22 by the Tribal Council.
MAYETTA: The Tribal Council election is coming up a week from this Saturday on July 28 and will be held at the Bingo Hall. Ballots will be brought over from the Mayetta Post Office shortly after 9 a.m. that day by a member of the Elections board and a police officer escort.
As of July 18 there were 786 ballots already mailed in, according to Voncile Mitchell, director of Elections. Ballots will be tabulated in an open meeting for the tribal membership and the Election Board will issue the unofficial election results immediately following the conclusion of the tabulation that is done electronically at the meeting that will also be verified by election clerks. Any protest of the election results must be filed within three business days following the election for a recount.
Sixteen candidates are running for four seats on the Tribal Council that include the vice chairperson, treasurer, Tribal Council position #2 and Tribal Council position #3. For a listing of candidates and their profiles look on the elections webpage atwww.pbpindiantribe.com/elections.aspx or see the summer issue of the Potawatomi News (pages 11-17) that was mailed to tribal households June 20.
If no candidate wins by a majority vote plus one, a run-off election will follow four weeks after the initial election. The two candidates who receive the highest number of votes in the first election will face each other in a run-off to determine a winner.
Candidates filed for the positions in April and ballots were mailed to registered voters June 13. A pre-addressed return envelope that came in the mailing packet with the ballot must be returned to the Mayetta Post Office by 9 a.m. The Elections office recommends allowing up to five days for the ballot to reach the post office.
In other news, a General Council meeting will be held this Saturday, July 21 at 9 a.m. at the Bingo Hall.