The following letter has been mailed to Tribal Members:
Dear Tribal Member,
The purpose of this letter is to introduce the Election Board and provide you with information regarding the upcoming election. The Election Board, as appointed by Tribal Council, consists of Election Board Chair, Katheryn Rodgers, Bernice Crandall, Gloria Wik, and Election Board Alternate, Russell Wilson.
Enclosed with this letter is a Declaration of Candidacy form. This form must be returned to the Tribal Member Services department by end of business day (5 p.m.) on July 17, 2023 in order for the candidate’s name to be placed on the Absentee Ballot.
We will be electing four (4) Kenaitze Tribal Council Members at the Annual General Membership Meeting scheduled on Saturday, October 7, 2023.
The following deadlines as outlined in the Election Ordinance 1998-02 are as follows:
- July 17, 2023 – Deadline to submit Declaration of Candidacy forms
- August 14, 2023 – Absentee Ballots mailed to eligible voters in AK
- October 2, 2023 – Deadline to return completed Absentee Ballots
The Election Ordinance sets out the voter qualifications in Section 3 which includes, but is not limited to, “any member who self-discloses that he or she is enrolled with another tribe (i.e. dually-enrolled), shall not be allowed to vote until the member has shown proof of relinquished membership in the other tribe.”
Section 4 of the Election Ordinance 1998-02 sets out the candidate qualifications which includes, but is not limited to, “Council members are subject to background check requirements and must submit to a background check upon election to Council.”
Other candidate qualifications include:
- Must be over the age of 18
- Alaskan Resident
- Must be present in person on the day of Annual Meeting
For a complete copy of Election Ordinance 1998-02, or should you have questions or concerns, please contact Ashley Segura, Tribal Member Services Assistant, located at 150 North Willow Street, Kenai AK 99611, 907-335-7251 or at asegura@kenaitze.org.
To ensure all eligible voters receive their ballot, please contact Ashley at the number above to verify your mailing address.
Enjoy your summer, and we look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting!
Chiqinik!
Katheryn Rodgers
Chair, Election Board
Kenaitze Indian Tribe