By
Shannon Shaw Duty
Osage congressional hopefuls can now register to be official candidates for the 2012 Osage General Election June 4.
Berbon Hamilton was the first candidate to walk through the Osage Election Office doors this morning, said Delores Davis, election office staff. He was waiting for her to open the doors at 7:55 a.m. Hamilton will be just one of many that will put his hat in the ring for a seat on the Third Osage Nation Congress.
The candidacy-filing period begins today (March 15) and ends April 2.
The six highest vote recipients on Election Day will serve on the Third Osage Nation Congress for four years.
Requirements for candidacy
According to documents obtained from the Osage election office, a person must be at least 25 years old on the date of the election, and never been convicted of a felony, to be eligible for candidacy. They must have an Osage Nation Membership Card (not a CDIB), a government issued ID (such as a Driver’s License), and $300 in the form of a cashier’s check or money order payable to the Osage Nation Election Office.
Candidates will also be required to sign a Background Investigation Consent, in which the candidate’s legal record will be searched for convicted felonies. The Osage News will also conduct a background search on all candidates for convicted felonies and bankruptcies.
Candidates may obtain a Voter Registry (list of registered voters), in which the fee will be included in the filing fee.
Campaign Reporting
Each candidate must file two campaign reporting statements detailing donations of $1,000 or more and the equivalent of that amount in goods and services from individuals or families. That also includes multiple donations by a single donor that accumulate to $1,000 or more.
Campaign reporting statements must also detail donations, or good and services, of any amount received by the candidate or campaign from a corporation, LLC or any business entity whether organized by a state, tribal or federal charter.
Candidates will also be required to file any expenditures made by the candidate or the campaign and any balance of funds at the time of the statement.
Candidate’s campaign reports have to be filed with the election office no more than 15 days prior to the election date for certification. Reports must include all donations and expenditures made up to that date, even those made prior to the candidate filing date. After the election, a second report is required to be filed no more than15 days post election. The report must be a complete detailing of the candidate’s entire campaign.
The Osage News will be publishing regular Political News Blogs on the election, candidates and more. Check www.osagenews.org regularly for in-demand political news on the 2012 General Election.
Original Publish Date: 2012-03-15 00:00:00
