Absentee, Registration Deadlines Set For Special Election

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Cherokee Nation has set deadlines for absentee ballots and voter registration for the March 3 special election on a Constitutional amendment regarding Cherokee Nation citizenship. The dates, set by the Cherokee Nation Election Commission, were confirmed by the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council in a special meeting Wednesday night.

Cherokee citizens must be registered to vote no later than February 5 in order to vote in the special election. Absentee ballots can be requested beginning on January 11 and will continue until 5 p.m. on February 7. Absentee ballots will be mailed beginning February 12 and marked ballots must be received back to the Election Commission on or before the election date to be counted.

All voters registered to vote in the special election will receive a red voter registration card listing the voter's name, precinct number and voting location. The voter registration cards will be mailed on February 19.

The special election is the result of a citizen's petition asking for a vote on a Constitutional amendment that would limit citizenship in the Cherokee Nation to descendents of people who are listed on the final roles of the Cherokee Nation as Cherokee, Delaware or Shawnee, rather than non-Indian roles taken at the same time. The petition has twice been affirmed by the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, which also ruled that the Principal Chief has the right to call a special election, as requested by the more than 2,100 Cherokee voters who signed the petition.

In March, 2006, the Cherokee Nation's highest court ruled the Cherokee Nation's Constitution allowed citizenship for non-Indian descendents who were listed on the Dawes Rolls of the Cherokee Nation. Until that time, membership had been restricted to those who had a Cherokee, Delaware or Shawnee ancestor on the Dawes Rolls. The proposed amendment mirrors that policy. In the ruling, however, the court noted that "the Cherokee citizenry has the ultimate authority to define tribal citizenship," and suggested that "the Constitution could be amended to require all tribal members to possess Cherokee blood."

"The people have spoken clearly, demanding the right to decide this Constitutional issue for themselves," said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith. "Some of them believe that you should have to be an Indian to be in an Indian tribe. Others think we should have a policy that allows descendents of non-Indians who were affiliated with our tribe in the past to have citizenship. Regardless, this is obviously an issue that demands the attention of Cherokee Voters."

For more information regarding voter registration or to request an absentee ballot, please call the Cherokee Nation Election Commission at (918) 458-5899 or toll-free at (800) 353-2895.