Voter registration deadline rearing

Scott Csernyik

8/29/2001 12:00:00 AM

Saginaw Chippewa members wanting to participate in upcoming Tribal elections have until Sept. 10 to become registered voters.

Caucus Committee officials are also reminding District 1 voters they will need to present their new voter registration card and a state driver's license or state identification card in order to be eligible to cast a ballot.

Members will not have to come to the Tribal Clerk's Office in person for a new picture on the voter registration cards as their computerized images for the Tribal identification card are already on file. Tribal Clerk Terri Rueckert stated the voter registration cards will be disbursed after the Sept. 10 voter registration deadline.

"It's the responsibility of every Tribal member to make sure they are correctly registered to vote," she explained. "The Tribal ID card will not be considered a valid second piece of identification."

Current Tribal identification cards do not list an address. The new voter registration cards will feature a physical address. The action is designed to insulate members from voting for candidates outside the district in which they physically reside.

An exception to this will be Ogemaw Housing residents who are temporarily living elsewhere because of the demolition of their Kinross home and are in transition until their new home is ready.

"We know who those people are," Rueckert stated. "Even though they are at a temporary address, they do not have to come into the Clerk's Office to change their address."

Caucus Committee Chairperson Joe Sowmick said individuals whose status as a Saginaw Chippewa member is being challenged will also be allowed to run for office and vote.

"Just because they are going through the disenrollment process doesn't mean they are going to be treated any different," he stated. "We want to make sure we have as many people as possible voting. Throughout the whole process, we're trying to be inclusive in making sure all Tribal members are registered to vote. As long as they are still a member, they will be allowed to take part in the electoral process."

Caucus Committee officials said after their Aug. 20 meeting, they are anticipating primary elections for Districts 1 and 3 (At-Large). They also named first alternate Eugene Walraven to replace Teresa Jackson who resigned from the Caucus Committee. Delores Jackson is the second alternate.

Elders 55 and older can vote by absentee ballot if they are unable to go to the polls. Language governing this portion of the election process can be found in Ordinance No. 4, Section 15, Subsection b. Absentee ballots are also applicable to military personnel and students.

Rueckert added that District 3 voters can cast their ballots in person at one of the two polling places either on the Isabella Reservation or in Saganing (District 2). However, they must have their absentee ballot that was sent to them in the mail by the Tribal Clerk's Office, as well as a valid state driver's license or state identification card. District 3 members will not be issued voter registration cards.

Members with questions about the electoral process can contact the Tribal Clerk's Office at (989) 775-4054.