Tribal members in Juneau will have to recast their votes this week for delegates to the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribe of Alaska’s 107-member Tribal Assembly.
President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson says a special election is necessary because the firm hired to assist with the original election was unaware of a rule that prevents people from acquiring absentee ballots for someone other than themselves.
Peterson said he learned Wednesday evening of a tribal member who posted on Facebook that he had extra voting materials for anyone who needed them. After looking into it, the council found that multiple individuals were able to acquire additional ballots and the official envelopes that accompany them. Because enrollment numbers are published, Peterson said someone could easily forge the envelopes to appear legitimate.
Peterson also said that he was advised that the election could — and likely would — be challenged.
“It’s incredible, very disheartening,” Peterson said. “There were multiple mistakes made, I think predominantly on the side of our audit firm. Not to throw them under the bus but I also have to be transparent and factual to my tribal citizens and also to those who are running (to be a) delegate. They deserve to know that. They deserve a fair election.”
Thursday was supposed to be the last day of the election. Peterson said the Juneau delegates’ election was the only one compromised and that elections for other communities “went off without a hitch.”
Tlingit and Haida tribal members elect Tribal Assembly delegates from their own communities every two years. The Tribal Assembly’s annual meeting is scheduled to be held in Juneau April 20-22.
Peterson said this was the first year they’d used a third-party to oversee the election. He said Central Council would “come to some conclusions” this week about how to move forward with future elections.
Tribal members can recast their vote several different ways, including online.
