The Osage Nation Election Board voted to approve the 2014 primary election ballot on Jan. 22 once the order of candidate names was determined.
That morning, the Election Board held a drawing at the Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center with seven of the eight candidates present. The candidates are seeking the Executive Branch offices of Principal Chief and Assistant Principal Chief. The Election Board also used the event to answer questions from the candidates regarding the upcoming deadlines and requirements to remain compliant with the Nation’s election rules and law.
Election Supervisor Alexis Rencountre announced the order of candidate names after Election Board vice chairwoman Shannon Lockett drew the names one-by-one from a clear plastic container where the names, written on pieces of paper, were placed.
The ballot order is:
PRINCIPAL CHIEF
1. Tom Boone
2. Geoffrey Standing Bear
3. Margo Gray
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL CHIEF
1. Raymond Red Corn
2. Amanda Proctor
3. Terry Mason Moore
4. James “Osage” Dailey
5. Randolph Crawford
With a 2-0 vote, Election board members Lockett and Terry Hazen approved the ballot during an afternoon meeting. Board chairman Walter Hopper was absent that day.
One week later, the Election Office staff began mailing the absentee ballots to those who are requesting them for the primary election.
The Feb. 10 deadline to submit absentee ballot request forms has passed.
After receiving the ballot and filling it out, voters must make sure the ballot is mailed back to the Election Office by March 10 to have their votes included in the counting that day.
The offices of Principal Chief and Assistant Principal Chief each carry four-year terms. Annual salaries for those offices are:
Principal Chief: $95,000
Assistant Principal Chief: $71,250
See more photos of the Jan. 22 candidate information meeting on the Osage News Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/osagenews/sets/72157640888458834/
By
Benny Polacca
Original Publish Date: 2014-02-12 00:00:00
