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HomeCommunityOver 480 absentee ballots mailed in as of Feb. 27

Over 480 absentee ballots mailed in as of Feb. 27

As of Feb. 27, the Osage Nation Election Office reported that nearly 23 percent of the absentee ballots sent out for the March special election were mailed to the Pawhuska Post Office from those voters who requested them.

According to a posting on the Election Office Facebook page, 482 of the 2,070 ballots were received at the post office. Per arrangements with the post office, the ballots are deposited and kept in metal locked boxes and will not be picked up until 10 a.m. of election day, which is March 20.

“Election Office staff does not have access to the ballots,” according to the Facebook posting. “We know the number of ballots received based on daily reports given to us by the Post Office. Ballots are kept at the Post Office in a locked ballot box until Election Day.”

Each absentee ballot was sent out in a yellow envelope containing the ballot, instructions for completing and mailing the ballot and a paid-postage envelope specifying the Election Office’s post office box address for returning the filled-out ballot.

In this special election, Osage voters will be asked two questions on the ballot: One question asks voters whether the Nation’s definition of marriage should include same-sex marriages in tribal law. The second question asks whether to amend the Osage Constitution regarding the annual government budget.

The Nation’s elections are governed by the Osage election code and rules and regulations. Those mandates specify the duties and responsibilities for carrying out the election duties, which include picking up the absentee ballots from the post office only on election day. At that time, election officials will pick up the ballots with an ON police escort to transport the ballots to the designated polling place.

The March 20 election day poll will be the former Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center building at 1449 W. Main St. in Pawhuska from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Early voting is also scheduled Friday March 17 (noon to 8 p.m.) and Saturday March 18 (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) at the ON Election Office, 608 Kihekah in Pawhuska.   

Early voting ballots will be kept in the Election Office locked vault and will be retrieved with the same police escort for absentee ballots, as in past elections.

The Election Office is also encouraging absentee voters to contact staff as soon as possible in the event their ballot does not arrive.

“We have been receiving ballots back due to bad addresses! Most we are able to correct, but not all! You can e-mail us at electionoffice@osagenation-nsn.gov or call toll free at 1-877-560-5286.”


By

Benny Polacca


Original Publish Date: 2017-02-27 00:00:00

Author

  • Benny Polacca

    Title: Senior Reporter

    Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

    Instagram: @bpolacca

    Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

    Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

    Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

    Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

    Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

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Benny Polacca
Benny Polaccahttps://osagenews.org

Title: Senior Reporter

Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

Instagram: @bpolacca

Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

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