By TEDDYE SNELL Press Staff Writer

http://tahlequahdailypress.com/local/x540031248/Tribal-council-approves-redistricting

TAHLEQUAH — After much discussion and debate, the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council Monday night approved an act that would divide the tribe’s 14-county jurisdiction into five voting districts.

The legislation comes on the heels of a pending tribal court order requiring the Cherokee Nation Election Commission to apportion the existing nine tribal districts based on ZIP code.

Cherokee Nation District Judge Bart Fite ordered the redistricting by ZIP code to be complete by June 30 in a case filed by Principal Chief Chad Smith against the tribe’s election commission.

The tribal council filed a motion June 25 asking Fite to reconsider and stay his order. Fite granted the stay and ordered the parties to come together by July 13 and file a report on the jurisdictional issue.

The act passed by the council Monday night would create five voting districts within the 14-county jurisdiction for the 2011 election, allowing three council seats for each of the five districts.

Candidates in the 2011 election may file for only one seat and must earn the majority of the votes cast for that seat.

Qualified voters in each district may vote for one candidate for each seat in the district.

Also, the council must prepare a plan and budget for fiscal year 2010-’11 to complete enhanced 911 addresses to help locate Cherokee citizens, and the administration must prepare a plan and budget to determine last known and or current address of every tribal citizen registered within the Cherokee nation by Dec 1, 2011.

Finally, the legislative branch will determine apportionment and redistricting for the 2013 elections using the improved data provided by both the 911 and tribal improved addressing by 2012.

Although the act passed through committee earlier Monday, Councilors Jack Baker and Cara Cowan Watts sought to amend the legislation and change maps during the general council meeting.

Baker proposed a 15-district map, and Cowan Watts proposed a five-district map, but one different than that passed in committee.

Many councilors are in favor of having 15 districts, but only after the data has been compiled and the territory divided proportionately.

Tribal councilors whose terms expire in 2011 include: Tina Glory Jordan, Jodie Fishinghawk, Janelle Fullbright, Harley Buzzard, Chris Soap, Cara Cowan Watts, Bradley Cobb, and Julia Coates.

Councilors whose terms expire in 2013 include Bill John Baker, S. Joe Crittenden, David Thornton Sr., Don Garvin, Curtis Snell, Meredith Frailey, Buel Anglen, Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Jack D. Baker.

Councilors voting for the act included Fishinghawk, Frailey, Fullbright, Garvin, Glory-Jordan, Soap, Snell, Bill John Baker, Cobb, Crittenden and Coates.

Those opposed were Cowan Watts, Anglen, Jack Baker and Buzzard.

The act will be considered in the report provided to Fite today.