1973-10-15 Char-Koosta News

              You Must Register For Nov. 17 Vote By Oct. 19 Nov. 17 Election Upheld
Missoula — The Tribal election to determine whether or not 18-year-old resident members will be entitled to vote in general tribal elections will go ahead as scheduled with off-reservation members balloting.
U.S. Federal District Judge William J. Jameson denied a request by Tribal Attorneys to temporarily delay the election over a question of the eligibility of non-resident members.
However, Judge Jameson ordered that ballots from off-reservation voters be marked and counted separately. He noted that in this way, the Nov. 17 constitutional revision election could be valid regardless of which way the decision on the off-reservation vote issue goes. Judge Jameson made the ruling during a court review of the off-reservation sufferage issue in Missoula, Oct. 11.
The Tribe was attempting to block the election because of a Department of Interior ruling which would permit off reservation tribal members to vote in this constitutional election.
In the hearing Tribal Attorney Richard Baenan attempted to establish that non-resident members did not vote in the 1935 election to establish the tribal constitution. The Tribe called 2 witnesses, Edwin Du-puis, Ronan, who sat on the first election committee and the constitutional drafting committee; and Louis Dupuis, who was a BIA employee in 1935 and helped to draw up the voter registration list. Both witnesses noted that the rules governing that election did not permit off-reservation members to vote.
The contested issue between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Tribe is not whether 18 -year olds should De allowed to vote in tribal elections. The tribe (cont. on page 2)
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THE BI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF TOE SALISH, PEND'd ORffiLLES AND KOOTENAI TRIBES OF THE FLATHEAD RESERVATION
Volume 3 - Number 12    Full Moon of Half Autumn-Half Summer    (Oct. 15 , 1973)
Rules Governing Election Approved
Dixon: Rules governing the December 15 Tribal Council Constitutional Committee election have been revised this year to prevent family favoritism on the judges panel and simplifying the run-off election procedure.
The Tribal Council's elec-tions committee added to the list of rules regulating voting procedure, a provision that judges cannot be a member of the immediate family of a candidate for either the Tribal Council or the special Constitutional Committee election. The committee also recommended that run-off elections due to a tie in the general election balloting be restricted to just those who received the top votes. Both additions to the general election rules were approved by the Tribal Council during the Quarterly meeting held October 5.
The Election Committee is composed of Tribal Councilmen who were elected in December of 1971. They are: Tom Pablo, Hot Springs ... John Malatare, Arlee ... Tom "Bearhead" Swan-ey, St. Ignatius ... Vic Stinger, Pablo... and Bob McCrea, Dixon. The terms of these Councilmen will expire in December of 1975.
The general election this December 15 will focus not
only on the five remaining Tribal Council seats but also on a special committee to change the tribe's 3 8 year old constitution (see story in next col.) The Tribal Council seats open during this election will be those currently held by: Fred Whit-worth, Arlee...Jim Ely, Ronan, ...Bill Morigeau, Poison...Pat Lefthand, Elmo...and Tribal Council Chairman Harold Mitchell, Jr., St. Ignatius.
Rules governing candidacy for these Tribal Council seats are:
—Candidate must be 21 years of of age or older.
—Candidate must have been a resident of the reservation and the district for which he is running for at least one year prior to the election.
—Candidate must file his notice of candidacy with the Tribal Secretary in Dixon at least 15 days prior to the election (before 4:30 p.m. November 30 ).
Polling rules and voter eligibility for this election are: —Voters must be 21 years —-Must have a one year residency on the reservation or serving in the armed forces (servicemen are entitled to vote on furlough or with absentee ballots - absentee ballots must be postmarked by December 15)
(cont. on page 3)
Voters To Choose Con - Con
Dixon: Reservation Tribal Members will be electing a ten-person Constitutional Committee December 15 at the same time they vote for five Tribal Councilmen.
During the fourth 1973 Quarterly meeting, held in Dixon Oct. 5, the Council unanimously passed a resolution to form a Constitutional Committee to make changes or rewrite the Tribe's 38 year old governing document. The committee will have the power to determine both the extent of the change in the Tribal Constitution and drafting the change provision.
In other words, the committee can decide whether the old constitution just needs updating or whether it should be completely rewritten. They will also implement these reforms into a constitutional proposal which will be delivered to the Tribal Council next April 5. The plan will then go before the voters who will make the final decision on new draft.
The Constitutional Committee will have complete authority in deciding on the new constitution, although the ten im-cumbent members of the Tribal Council will be non-voting members of the delegation. The (cont. on page 3)