With the 2018 election season underway, the Osage Nation Election Office is also notifying the public to update any address changes to receive voting information by mail – especially if voting by absentee ballot.
“If you did not receive the last post card that we sent out, please contact the Election Office at (877) 560-5286. We are trying to update as many addresses before the upcoming election as possible,” the Election Office wrote on its Facebook page. The Election Office sends out information including notices of upcoming elections and deadlines for submitting absentee ballot requests to receive a ballot by mail.
As of Nov. 30, the Election Office reports there are 15,046 eligible Osage voters. According to its records, there are “657 Osage Voters that we have no way of contacting because they do not have a valid address listed in our database,” the office wrote.
Per the Osage Constitution, eligible Osage voters are those enrolled with the Nation and are at least 18 years old.
Osages who need to contact the Election Office to update contact information may do so by phone or email electionoffice@osagenation-nsn.gov
The Election Office also released data on the number of eligible Osage voters in the United States. According to the office, Oklahoma has the most eligible voters at 6,537 and Texas (1,544) and California (1,318) come in second and third respectively.
The totals for eligible Osage voters in other states with over 100 Osages living in each state include: Kansas (733); Colorado (382); Missouri (362); Oregon (337); Washington state (297); Arizona (293); Arkansas (254); New Mexico (213); Florida (207); Illinois (130); Virginia (113); Georgia (112); Nevada (111); Idaho (106); and Tennessee (101).
As for other remaining unnamed states, each one has less than 100 eligible Osage voters living in them. A total of 1,239 eligible Osage voters live in those states with less than 100 voters, according to the Election Office.
As of Dec. 15 no Osages have filed to run for Executive Branch offices in the 2018 election year beside the four individuals who filed on Dec. 5 – the first day of the month-long filing period. Offices for Principal Chief and Assistant Principal Chief will be open during the June 4 general election.
Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear is seeking a second term in office and Congresswoman Maria Whitehorn is also running for Principal Chief. Assistant Principal Chief Raymond Red Corn is running for a second term and Congressman Otto Hamilton is also running for Assistant Principal Chief.
The deadline to file for candidacy as an Executive Branch candidate is Monday Jan. 8 at 4:30 p.m.
Candidate forms, election information and absentee ballot requests are available for download and printing from the ON Election Office website at: www.osagenation-nsn.gov/what-we-do/elections
By
Benny Polacca
Original Publish Date: 2017-12-19 00:00:00
