Today is Election Day for the eight principal chief and assistant principal chief candidates vying for a spot in the Osage Nation General Election June 2.
On the ballot for the Nation’s first Primary Election are Tom Boone, Margo Gray and Geoffrey Standing Bear for principal chief. For assistant principal chief are Randolph Crawford, James “Osage” Dailey, Terry Mason Moore, Amanda Proctor and Raymond Red Corn.
The poll opens at 8 a.m. and is located at the Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center and closes at 8 p.m. The vote counting will take place at the WCC but the results will be announced in front of the Osage Nation Congressional Chambers, per tradition.
The Osage News will be posting news throughout the day on its website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and will post the results as soon as they are announced.
Candidate Camps
Candidates will have camps set up on the campus grounds, west of the Osage Nation Congressional Chambers. The Nation will provide a shuttle to take voters to and from the Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center from the Osage campus.
Voting Requirements
Osages must be at least 18 years old to vote, on or before Election Day. Osages must also have a government issued photo ID with them, such as a driver’s license (even if expired), passport, military ID, etc. If the voter does not have an ID, they can still vote if two election officials identify them and sign an affidavit confirming the person’s identity.
Once a voter is identified and has the proper verification, they are looked up in the Osage Voter Registry and asked to sign their name. The voter will receive an index card with an anonymous barcode on it and will be asked to present that card to election staff who will scan the barcode and print off a ballot that matches the barcode.
The voter will take their ballot and cast their vote. Talking and the use of cell phones will not be permitted. When the voter is finished they will place their ballot, unfolded, in the locked metal ballot box.
Absentee Ballots
At 10 a.m. on March 10 the election supervisor, accompanied by Osage Nation Police, will retrieve the absentee ballots from a locked box from the Pawhuska Post Office and will immediately deliver the box to the polling place. Poll watchers can be present during the transport. According to the election board, one poll watcher has registered for the Primary Election Day for assistant principal chief candidate Terry Mason Moore.
All absentee ballots that arrive at the Pawhuska Post Office after 10 a.m. on March 10 will be put in an empty locked box at the Pawhuska Post Office and held for 48 hours as provisional ballots.
An eligible voter who has requested an absentee ballot may vote in person on Election Day if they surrender their absentee ballot or sign an affidavit stating they have not voted by absentee.
No electioneering
No electioneering will be allowed within 300 feet of the entrance of the polling place.
Examples of electioneering: written or printed materials for a candidate; signs, stickers, buttons, shirts, bumper stickers, fans etc.; talking about voting for or against a particular candidate or issue; candidates or their campaign committee members greeting voters as they approach the polling place.
Only election officials and voters going to cast their votes will be allowed to remain within 50 feet of the polling place.
The consequences of electioneering could be a misdemeanor and summons to appear in the Osage Nation Tribal Court; if convicted of electioneering the person may be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 and jail time.
For more information contact the Election Office at (877) 560-5286.
By
Shannon Shaw Duty
Original Publish Date: 2014-03-10 00:00:00
