FROM the "Communicator" naitca@fullnet.net
February 26, 2011
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Cherokee Voting by the Numbers
Since the 1970s, the Cherokee Nation Election
Commission only shows approximately 14,000 Tribal citizens vote in Tribal
elections despite the significant population increase.
Today, the Cherokee Nation has more than 300,000
Tribal citizens.
As of January 2011, the Tribal Registrar data for
Tribal citizens 18 years of age to 100 years old are distributed as follows.
Within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation, there are a total of 97,503 Tribal citizens eligible to vote.
Outside of the Tribal jurisdiction and within the State of Oklahoma, 60,870 potential Cherokee voters live and work.
Another 82,031 potential Cherokee voters live outside of Oklahoma and within the United States. Total voter eligible Cherokee Nation population within the US is 240,404. Potential international voters are another 327 Cherokee citizens 18 to 100 years old with good mailing addresses.
Within the Boundaries of the Cherokee Nation, Tribal
citizens 18 and up are distributed as follows provided they have a good address.
Adair County 9,967
Cherokee County 14,368
Craig County 3,704
Delaware County 8,186
Mayes County 9,306
McIntosh County 1,264
Muskogee County 9,419
Nowata County 2,337
Ottawa County 3,327
Rogers County 9,665
Sequoyah County 11,173
Tulsa County 7,794
Wagoner County 2,412
Washington County 4,581
Note, the Tribal Registrar data is based on the last
known address as submitted to the Tribe by the citizen. The numbers provided do
not included citizens with known bad addresses which we understand is
significant.
Apportionment is based on Tribal citizenship
population regardless of age. With the car tag monies going to schools, most
communities have seen an increase in citizenship overall and Tribal citizenship
registration at a younger age.
As of February 18, 2011, the Cherokee Nation
Election Commission has 50,676 registered voters. Of those registered,
16,122 have bad addresses.
Of the registered voters, 19,545 are At Large
voters as of September 2010. The myth of At Large voter control of Tribal
elections only exists if Cherokees in the jurisdiction do not show up to
vote.
Out of the 14,298 At Large voters with good
mailing addresses, 638 are in neighboring Arkansas, 801 in Kansas, 503 in
Missouri, 1,294 in Texas and 6,144 in Oklahoma.
The infamous California voting block only contains 1,824 registered Cherokee voters with good addresses. Within Oklahoma, 2,630 voters with good addresses reside in the border communities of Tulsa, Muskogee, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Skiatook, Sperry and Spiro.
Roughly one-fifth of our eligible voters have
registered to vote in Cherokee Nation elections. If the election turnout
continues to stay about 14,000, only 27 percent of the registered voters are
even participating which is about 6 percent of our eligible voters in the
US.
In the 2007 General Election, 13,903 Cherokees
voted. At Large voters accounted for only 2,760 votes with the vast majority
voting in one of the nine districts which would include At Large voters who
chose a home district rather than voting At Large. Of the At Large who cast
a ballot, 1,095 reside in Oklahoma with 394 from border communities such as
Tulsa, Muskogee, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Skiatook and Wagoner. Other States
who showed up to the polls in large numbers were Arkansas with 98, Arizona
64, Colorado 53, Kansas 168, Missouri 92, New Mexico 47, Texas 307 and
California 271.
If the 2007 election is any indication of future
elections, our government is elected by Cherokees who live and work at home.
I believe every Cherokee citizen has the right to vote in our Tribal elections. For me, the right to vote is our fundamental right as citizens as well as an honor and obligation to exercise our right to vote.
Both my maternal grandparents were Tribal citizens and
instilled in me the urgency to vote in our Tribal elections. I do not understand
why so many of our Tribal citizens do not vote when so much is at stake for our
families, friends and neighbors.
Every election is an opportunity for our Tribal
citizens to maintain their voice in our government. With the Tribal budget
topping $600 million dollars annually and more than 7,000 employees combined in
the government and Tribal businesses, our elections must have the full
participation of our Tribal citizens.
I hope you make time, today, to contact the Cherokee
Nation Election Commission to update your voter registration information or
register for the first time.
The choice is yours. We need all of our Tribal
citizens participating in our government.
With so many jobs on the line and the economy of
northeastern Oklahoma, I hope our Tribal citizens show up at the polls in
greater numbers and make their voices heard.
To register to vote, you must have your Tribal
citizenship which is often referred to as the Blue Card. The Certificate of
Degree of Indian Blood (White Card) is not citizenship in the Tribe.
Voter registration closes on March 31, 2011 for the
upcoming June 25, 2011 Tribal election.
Absentee ballot requests can be made by each individual voter until May 13, 2011.
To contact the Cherokee
Nation Election Commission, call (918) 458-5899 or 1-800-353-2895
or email election-commission@cherokee.org