NOTICE OF NOMINATION MEETING AND ELECTION    

NOTICE OF NOMINATION MEETING AND ELECTION    

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CANDIDATE INFORMATION

ELECTION ORDINANCE ARTICLE IV- QUALIFICATIONS FOR TRIBAL COUNCIL

“Section 1. Qualifications. All candidates for the Tribal Council seats shall meet the qualifications:

(A)  MEMBERSHIP - Candidates for Tribal Council seats must be enrolled tribal members.

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

(C)  RESIDENCY - Candidates for Tribal Council seats must meet the residency requirements for the particular seat for which they are nominated for at least one year prior to the date of the election. 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. 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.

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

To ensure that all candidates meet the above requirements, those who wish to run for the available Tribal Council seat must submit the following to the Election Board:

• Proof of Identification, proof of residency, and a signed Nomination Form presented to the Election Board before 12:00 pm DST on the day of the Nomination Meeting, Saturday, May 15, 2021.                                                                                                                            

AND

• Federal Fingerprint Card with a $22 Black Money Order (to pay for processing) AND a complete local tribal background check hand-delivered to the Election Board at the Tribal administration Office located at 50 S. Main Street, Suite #101, Tuba City, AZ 86045 on or before Friday, May 21, 2021 at 5 PM DST.

Failure to submit the required documents will result in disqualification. Please see the next page for further information regarding acceptable documents.

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND CHECK

Both local and federal background checks are required to verify candidate eligibility pursuant to SJSPT Constitution Art. VIII, Section 6 and Election Ordinance Art. IV, Section 1(d). Failure to properly submit backgrounds checks to the election board will result in disqualification.     

The Election Board understands that the Navajo Nation is subject to a strict Stay-At-Home Order due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Should Navajo remain under a strict Stay-At-Home Order during this election, the Election Board may waive the local background check requirement. However, the Election Board encourages all prospective candidates to attempt to secure the local background check well in advance of the Nomination Meeting.


CANDIDATES PROOF OF IDENTIFICATION AND RESIDENCY

Each Tribal member seeking nomination and election must present proof of identification and proof of residency to show that he or she:

• Is an enrolled member of the Tribe;
• Meets the age requirements for election (Area Council Candidates and At-Large must be at least 21 years of age).
• Resides within the territory of the Tribe, within one hundred fifty (150) miles of the territory of the Tribe, or is currently attending College/University.

Any of the following qualifies as acceptable PROOF OF IDENTIFICATION and PROOF OF RESIDENCY.

• A State Driver License or State Identification Card, with a current address.

OR

• A Tribal or Federal Identification Card AND a written paper such as a utility bill, bank statement, or a pay stub that has the person’s name and current physical address, if the written paper was issued within the preceding forty (40) days. 

OR

• A Tribal or Federal Identification Card AND the person is accompanied by a member of the Tribe who can vouch for both the person’s identity and residence.

OR

• If attending College/University outside of the one hundred fifty (150) miles out of the territory, the Letter of Acceptance from the College/University presently attending. 

VOTER ELIGIBILITY

ELECTION ORDINANCE ARTICLE V- ELIGIBLE VOTERS

“Section 1. Eligible Voters. Pursuant to Article VIII, Section 7 of the Constitution, persons must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible to vote in the tribal elections:

  (a) Membership- persons must be enrolled Tribal Members.

(b) Age- persons must be eighteen (18) years of age or older on the date of the election.

Section 2. List of Eligible Voters.

(a) The Election Board shall prepare and maintain a list of eligible voters…

(b) The Election Board shall post a list of eligible voters at the polling place.”

VOTER IDENTIFICATION

Each Tribal member listed on the Eligible Voter List must present proof of identification to show that he or she:

• Is an enrolled member of the Tribe and 
• Is at least eighteen (18) years of age.

Any of the following qualifies as acceptable Proof of Identification: A Tribal, State or Federal Identification Card or State- Issued Driver’s License. 

RULES FOR NOMINATION MEETING AND SPECIAL ELECTION

Due to COVID-19, the Election Board implements the following rules for the safety of all tribal members:

Nomination Meeting

• The Nomination Meeting shall be a drive-up event. Tribal members who wish to make a nomination must drive-up to the meeting place and remain in their vehicles. Election staff will collect Nomination Forms through the vehicle window. Tribal members are then required to leave the meeting place.
• Masks or other appropriate face coverings must be worn by all tribal members dropping off Nomination Forms. If you don’t have an appropriate face covering, please contact the Election Board at any time BEFORE the day of Nomination Meeting.
• Gatherings of tribal members (and other visitors) are prohibited. All voters and guests participating in the Nomination Meeting must leave the meeting place immediately after submitting nomination. In addition, all nominators and guests must maintain at least a six (6) foot distance from others in accordance with proper social distancing guidelines. Election Board members and staff will strictly enforce these measures for the health and safely of all participating in the Nomination Meeting.
• Nomination Forms will be included with this Notice and available online at the Tribe’s website. Staff will have a few Nomination Forms on site-during the Nomination Meeting, but for sanitation reasons, tribal members are strongly encourage to fill out their Nomination Forms BFORE dropping them off. 
• Please bring your own pen should you need to complete your Nomination Form while in your car.
• Nominees shall sign Nomination Forms in-person between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm on the day of the Nomination Meeting. As such, tribal members are encourage to notify their nominee so that he or she can make arrangements to sign the Nomination Form at the Tribal Administration Building. Nominees who fail to sign their Nomination form in person before the deadline will be disqualified.

ELECTION

• The Election will also be conducted as a drive-up event, which means that eligible voters may drive up to the polling place, receive a ballot to fill out in their vehicle, leave the vehicle to place their ballots into the electronic ballot box, and then leave the polling place. 
• Masks or other appropriate face coverings must be worn by all eligible voters and guests participating in the Election. If you don’t have an appropriate face covering, please contact the Election Board at any time BEFORE the day of the Election.
• Gatherings of tribal members (and other visitors) are strictly prohibited. All voters and guests participating in the Election must leave the polling place immediately after submitting ballots.

    In addition, all voters and guests must maintain at least a six (6) foot distance from others in                  accordance with proper social distancing guidelines. Election Board members and staff will strictly enforce these measures for the health and safety of all participating in the Election.

• Once the polling place has closed, a live vote count in which the Election Board reads the count processed by the electronic ballot machine, will be made available for live viewing on the Tribe’s website.

These rules are subject to change depending upon the severity of COVID-19 cases in the area and any public health or related orders issued by the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. Tribal members will receive notice of such changes by mail and by post on the Tribe’s website.