§ 401 Qualifications

All candidates for Tribal Council seats shall meet the following qualifications:

A. Membership. Candidates for Tribal Council seats must be enrolled tribal members pursuant to the Article II, §1 of the Constitution and Article I, §1 of the Enrollment Ordinance.

B. Age.

1. Candidates for Tribal Council seats must meet the age requirement for the particular seat for which they are nominated on or before the date of the election.
2. The President and Vice President must be at least twenty-five (25) years of age on or before the date of the election.
3. Northern Area and Southern Area Council Members and the At-Large Council Member must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age on or before the date of the election.

C. Residency.

1. Pursuant to Article VIII, Section 6 of the Constitution, candidates for Tribal Council seats must meet the residency requirements for the particular seats for which they are nominated for at least one (1) year prior to the date of the election.
2. “Residence” or “Residency” is defined as the main living place of a person.
3. Pursuant to Article IV, Section 5 of the Constitution, all Council Members must continue to meet the residency requirements during their term of office.
4. The President, Vice President and At-Large Council Member must reside within the territory of the Tribe or within one hundred fifty (150) miles of the territory of the Tribe as clarified in Article 2 of this Election Ordinance.
5. The Area Council Members from the Northern Area must reside in the Northern Area and the Area Council Members from the Southern Area must reside in the Southern Area as defined in Article II of this Election Ordinance.

D. Jail or Prison. No person may run for a Tribal Council seat who has served twelve (12) or more consecutive months in any federal, state, or tribal jail or prison.

[Legislative History: Enacted by Resolution No. 97-12, 3/19/1997; Amended by Resolution No. 2015-02- 22-002 to add Subsection (e), 2/22/2015; Amended by Resolution No. 2019-42 to rescind former Subsection (e), 3/6/2019; Amendment and Restatement by Resolution No. 2019-162, 12/18/2019]

§ 402 Limitation on Current Council Members to Run for Council Seats Other Than for Reelection to the Same Council Seat

A. Any incumbent accepting a nomination to run for a Council seat, other than for the same Council seat he or she currently occupies, shall resign in writing from his or her current Council seat prior to the end of the Nomination Meeting.

B. Any incumbent who fails to submit his or her resignation in a timely manner as required by this Section shall be deemed to have committed a violation of the Code of Ethics and shall be subject to disciplinary action or removal from office pursuant to Article IX of the Constitution.

[Legislative History: Enacted by Resolution No. 2019-162, 12/18/2019]

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