On or before September 5, 2007, notice of the special election will be posted at various locations Tribal campus and at the BIA Siletz office.
September 5, 2007, packets will be sent to all Tribal members who will be 18 years of age or older on the election date. The packet will include notice of the special election, a sample ballot and a voter registration form (with self-addressed postage paid return envelope).
September 26, 2007, all registration forms for the special election must be received by BIA Siltez Agency office.
October 8, 2007, Voter registration list will be posted at various locations on Tribal campus and at the BIA Siletz Agency office.
October 15, 2007, Official Ballots will be mailed to all registered voters.
October 18, 2007, the last day to challenge the Voter Registration List.
October 31, 2007, ELECTION DAY - All ballots must be received by noon at the BIA Siletz Agency. Ballots will be transferred to Tribal headquarters and the ballots will be counted there beginning at 2 p.m.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Proposed Changes to Constitution
OUR PRESENT CONSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS ARE:
Section 1. Requirements: The membership of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon shall consist of all persons who are not enrolled as members of another recognized tribe, band or community and, who for one year have fully and unconditionally relinquished membership in another Indian Tribe and;
(a) whose names validly appear on the official tribal membership roll prepared under the Grand Ronde Restoration Act; provided, that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior; or
(b) whose names validly appear on the official tribal membership roll as of September 14, 1999; provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council in accordance with the tribal enrollment ordinance; or
(c) who possess at least one-sixteenth (1/16) degree Grand Ronde blood quantum and were born to a parent who was a member of the Tribe at the time of the applicant's birth and who, unless deceased, is a member of the Grand Ronde Tribe at the time the applicant files an application for enrollment; have filed an application for enrollment according to procedures established pursuant to Section 3 of this Article, and have been accepted as members in accordance with the tribal ordinance adopted under Section 3 of this Article.
For purposes of this section, Grand Ronde blood is defined as all Indian blood derived from a direct ancestor whose name validly appears on the official tribal membership roll prepared under the Grand Ronde Restoration Act; provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council with the approval of the Secretary of Interior.
==============================================================
THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHP REQUIREMENTS IF PASSED WOULD BE:
The BIA election will be in the form of two amendments.
Amendment 1: The first paragraph of the Grand Ronde Constitution, Article V, Section 1, shall be changed to read as follows: Section 1. Requirements: The membership of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon shall consist of all persons who are not enrolled as members of another recognized tribe, band or community and, who for five years have fully and unconditionally relinquished membership in another Indian Tribe and;
Amendment 2: The Grand Ronde Constitution, Article V, Sections 1(b) and 1(c), shall be changed to read as follows: (a) whose names validly appear on the official tribal membership roll prepared under the Grand Ronde Restoration Act; provided, that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior; or(b) whose names validly appear on the official tribal membership roll as of (the effective date of the amendment); provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council in accordance with the tribal enrollment ordinance; or(c) who possess at least one-sixteenth (1/16) degree Grand Ronde blood quantum and were born to a parent who, unless deceased, is a member of the Grand Ronde Tribe at the time the applicant files an application for enrollment; have filed an application for enrollment according to procedures established pursuant to Section 3 of this Article, and have been accepted as members in accordance with the tribal ordinance adopted under Section 3 of this Article.
The final paragraph of the Grand Ronde Constitution, Article V, Section 1, shall be changed to read as follows: For purposes of this section, Grand Ronde blood is defined as all Indian blood derived from a direct ancestor whose name validly appears on the official tribal membership roll as of the date the person is accepted as a member of the tribe; provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council in accordance with the tribal enrollment ordinance.
Section 1. Requirements: The membership of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon shall consist of all persons who are not enrolled as members of another recognized tribe, band or community and, who for one year have fully and unconditionally relinquished membership in another Indian Tribe and;
(a) whose names validly appear on the official tribal membership roll prepared under the Grand Ronde Restoration Act; provided, that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior; or
(b) whose names validly appear on the official tribal membership roll as of September 14, 1999; provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council in accordance with the tribal enrollment ordinance; or
(c) who possess at least one-sixteenth (1/16) degree Grand Ronde blood quantum and were born to a parent who was a member of the Tribe at the time of the applicant's birth and who, unless deceased, is a member of the Grand Ronde Tribe at the time the applicant files an application for enrollment; have filed an application for enrollment according to procedures established pursuant to Section 3 of this Article, and have been accepted as members in accordance with the tribal ordinance adopted under Section 3 of this Article.
For purposes of this section, Grand Ronde blood is defined as all Indian blood derived from a direct ancestor whose name validly appears on the official tribal membership roll prepared under the Grand Ronde Restoration Act; provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council with the approval of the Secretary of Interior.
==============================================================
THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHP REQUIREMENTS IF PASSED WOULD BE:
The BIA election will be in the form of two amendments.
Amendment 1: The first paragraph of the Grand Ronde Constitution, Article V, Section 1, shall be changed to read as follows: Section 1. Requirements: The membership of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon shall consist of all persons who are not enrolled as members of another recognized tribe, band or community and, who for five years have fully and unconditionally relinquished membership in another Indian Tribe and;
Amendment 2: The Grand Ronde Constitution, Article V, Sections 1(b) and 1(c), shall be changed to read as follows: (a) whose names validly appear on the official tribal membership roll prepared under the Grand Ronde Restoration Act; provided, that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior; or(b) whose names validly appear on the official tribal membership roll as of (the effective date of the amendment); provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council in accordance with the tribal enrollment ordinance; or(c) who possess at least one-sixteenth (1/16) degree Grand Ronde blood quantum and were born to a parent who, unless deceased, is a member of the Grand Ronde Tribe at the time the applicant files an application for enrollment; have filed an application for enrollment according to procedures established pursuant to Section 3 of this Article, and have been accepted as members in accordance with the tribal ordinance adopted under Section 3 of this Article.
The final paragraph of the Grand Ronde Constitution, Article V, Section 1, shall be changed to read as follows: For purposes of this section, Grand Ronde blood is defined as all Indian blood derived from a direct ancestor whose name validly appears on the official tribal membership roll as of the date the person is accepted as a member of the tribe; provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council in accordance with the tribal enrollment ordinance.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
BIA Election FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
BIA ELECTION
What is the process for conducting a BIA election?
All eligible Grand Ronde Tribal members will:
Be notified through mail when the election will be held.
Will be able to vote by mail.
Will receive a Voter's Pamphlet from the BIA in the mail.
You must register with the BIA to vote in this special election even if you are already registered to vote in the Tribal Council elections.
All Tribal members 18 years of age or older are eligible to vote.
All information on how to register to vote will be included in the Voter's Pamphlet.
BIA Election
I will turn 18 years old this year. Can I vote in this election?
If you will be 18 years of age by the date of the election, you wil receive the same information in the mail as everyone else, and will be eligible to vote int he election.
Is there anything about voting in this election I need to pay careful attention to?
Yes!
You must register with the BIA to vote in this election, even if you are already a registered voter with the Tribe.
When you register to vote by mail, your signature must be signed exactly as the BIA has it or your ballot will not be counted.
Example: Signature on Ballot
If Voter's Pamphlet is addressed to "Mary Margaret Jones"
Signature must read "Mary Margaret Jones".
If signature reads "Mary M. Jones," your ballot will not be counted.
If signature reads "Ms. M. Jones," your ballot will not be counted.
Counting the Votes
What does it take for this amendment to pass?
At least 30% of the BIA registered voters must vote.
Of those BIA registered voters, at least 2/3rds must vote in favor of the amendment
Example: Counting the Votes
If 1,100 eligible Tribal members register with the BIA to vote in this election, and:
650 vote to pass the amendment.
450 vote against the amendment.
The amendment would not pass:
2/3rds of 1,100 is 734.
Unless there were at least 734 votes to pass the amendment, it would fail.
The Tribe said it will post more information on the Tribal member section of the Tribe's webpage:
https://www.grandronde.org/memberlogin.aspx
What is the process for conducting a BIA election?
All eligible Grand Ronde Tribal members will:
Be notified through mail when the election will be held.
Will be able to vote by mail.
Will receive a Voter's Pamphlet from the BIA in the mail.
You must register with the BIA to vote in this special election even if you are already registered to vote in the Tribal Council elections.
All Tribal members 18 years of age or older are eligible to vote.
All information on how to register to vote will be included in the Voter's Pamphlet.
BIA Election
I will turn 18 years old this year. Can I vote in this election?
If you will be 18 years of age by the date of the election, you wil receive the same information in the mail as everyone else, and will be eligible to vote int he election.
Is there anything about voting in this election I need to pay careful attention to?
Yes!
You must register with the BIA to vote in this election, even if you are already a registered voter with the Tribe.
When you register to vote by mail, your signature must be signed exactly as the BIA has it or your ballot will not be counted.
Example: Signature on Ballot
If Voter's Pamphlet is addressed to "Mary Margaret Jones"
Signature must read "Mary Margaret Jones".
If signature reads "Mary M. Jones," your ballot will not be counted.
If signature reads "Ms. M. Jones," your ballot will not be counted.
Counting the Votes
What does it take for this amendment to pass?
At least 30% of the BIA registered voters must vote.
Of those BIA registered voters, at least 2/3rds must vote in favor of the amendment
Example: Counting the Votes
If 1,100 eligible Tribal members register with the BIA to vote in this election, and:
650 vote to pass the amendment.
450 vote against the amendment.
The amendment would not pass:
2/3rds of 1,100 is 734.
Unless there were at least 734 votes to pass the amendment, it would fail.
The Tribe said it will post more information on the Tribal member section of the Tribe's webpage:
https://www.grandronde.org/memberlogin.aspx
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Ad Hoc Committee Letter
As a former member of the Enrollment Requirements Ad Hoc Committee I feel that the committee came up with the only recommendation that the majority of the committee could agree on. It took us a year and much debate over all the material that we could gather to come up with what we thought would have the best chance of passing. We were all concerned with the issue of split families within the tribe. I, for one, am counting on the fair-minded members of this tribe to vote yes on the recommendation that will at least allow the children of the present membership to enroll.
The recommendation is really simple:
1. A person/child that has 1/16th or more Grand Ronde blood and has a parent on the current roll will be able to enroll in the Grand Ronde Tribe.
2. If they are enrolled in another tribe they must relinquish membership in that tribe for five years.
The current roll is the Restoration Roll plus all the members who have joined the tribe since 1983. I have been told by a tribal member that he is telling everyone he knows that if this does not affect your family to vote no. I am asking you all to think more about this kind of statement. This kind of thinking will not heal the split within the tribe.
I want to see the tribe become one again. I want us to Care for one another, helping each other and their children to have a better future. I want all of us to feel proud of who we are and what we are doing to help all of the members to be able to have a good education, better jobs, and a decent place to live.
We are not just a tribe made up of elders! We need our young people to become educated and self-supporting. They are our future!! Please help heal the split families within our tribe!
Thank you,
Diana Norton
The recommendation is really simple:
1. A person/child that has 1/16th or more Grand Ronde blood and has a parent on the current roll will be able to enroll in the Grand Ronde Tribe.
2. If they are enrolled in another tribe they must relinquish membership in that tribe for five years.
The current roll is the Restoration Roll plus all the members who have joined the tribe since 1983. I have been told by a tribal member that he is telling everyone he knows that if this does not affect your family to vote no. I am asking you all to think more about this kind of statement. This kind of thinking will not heal the split within the tribe.
I want to see the tribe become one again. I want us to Care for one another, helping each other and their children to have a better future. I want all of us to feel proud of who we are and what we are doing to help all of the members to be able to have a good education, better jobs, and a decent place to live.
We are not just a tribe made up of elders! We need our young people to become educated and self-supporting. They are our future!! Please help heal the split families within our tribe!
Thank you,
Diana Norton
Letter from Rosemary Jameson
8-16-2007
Hi,
Here are the facts if the enrollment proposal passes :
1. If you were coming to our tribe from another tribe, you would have to relinquish 5 years before coming in to our tribe. (The present requirement is to relinquish for 1 year.)
2. You would have to still have 1/16 GR blood quantum,
3. You would still have to have a parent who is a member of the Tribe at the time of your application.
4. Grand Ronde blood is defined as all Indian blood derived from a direct ancestor whose name validly appears on the official tribal membership roll provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council.
(This is the section where folks think we would get thousands of applicants because it says all Indian blood from your direct ancestor on the Grand Ronde tribal roll is Grand Ronde blood. That idea is not true because you still have to have a parent on the current Grand Ronde tribal roll to apply into our tribe.)
5. One negative aspect of this proposal is that there will still be a few split families even if this passes because this proposal did not use “All” the Grand Ronde rolls and official Grand Ronde records----it uses the Current Tribal roll.
(The Current Tribal roll is based on the Restoration Roll of 1983 plus all who have joined our tribe since 1983.) As we know, not every ancestor’s name was on the Restoration Roll of 1983, so there will still be split families. This proposal will not give enrollment justice to these families. If you know and understand the facts of the proposal, you can help clear up these rumors and misconceptions. Please tell your family and/or pass this letter along to them and ask them to pass it along to other tribal members. Please circulate this letter to all tribal members that you have contact with. Thanks for help.
Please do all you can to help those who have 1/16 GR blood and have GR ancestors on GR rolls to be enrolled.
Best regards,
Rosemary Jameson
Hi,
Here are the facts if the enrollment proposal passes :
1. If you were coming to our tribe from another tribe, you would have to relinquish 5 years before coming in to our tribe. (The present requirement is to relinquish for 1 year.)
2. You would have to still have 1/16 GR blood quantum,
3. You would still have to have a parent who is a member of the Tribe at the time of your application.
4. Grand Ronde blood is defined as all Indian blood derived from a direct ancestor whose name validly appears on the official tribal membership roll provided that such roll may be corrected by the Tribal Council.
(This is the section where folks think we would get thousands of applicants because it says all Indian blood from your direct ancestor on the Grand Ronde tribal roll is Grand Ronde blood. That idea is not true because you still have to have a parent on the current Grand Ronde tribal roll to apply into our tribe.)
5. One negative aspect of this proposal is that there will still be a few split families even if this passes because this proposal did not use “All” the Grand Ronde rolls and official Grand Ronde records----it uses the Current Tribal roll.
(The Current Tribal roll is based on the Restoration Roll of 1983 plus all who have joined our tribe since 1983.) As we know, not every ancestor’s name was on the Restoration Roll of 1983, so there will still be split families. This proposal will not give enrollment justice to these families. If you know and understand the facts of the proposal, you can help clear up these rumors and misconceptions. Please tell your family and/or pass this letter along to them and ask them to pass it along to other tribal members. Please circulate this letter to all tribal members that you have contact with. Thanks for help.
Please do all you can to help those who have 1/16 GR blood and have GR ancestors on GR rolls to be enrolled.
Best regards,
Rosemary Jameson
Friday, August 10, 2007
Meeting for Enrollment
The Families for Enrollment group met on Wednesday, August 8, 2007. We discussed the green postcard that we sent out and the response that we have received. We sent to close to 3000 tribal members and over 400 were returned, a little over 100 had new addresses and they will be resent. We are still working on correcting our mail list so if you have any new addresses for Tribal Members, please let us know.
We also discussed the issue that has come up, much to our surprise, that there is a big concern as to who we are. Our intent wasn't to be a secret society. We wanted to be viewed as a group - Families for Enrollment. But not knowing who you are communicating with is a bit disconcerting, we know. So, from now on we will report on our meetings and give you a list of the attendees and who is doing which task for the cause. Unless a Tribal Member has a concern of retaliation, then their name will not be listed.
August 8, 2007 - Meeting at 1144 Gateway Loop; Springfield, OR; 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Attending Tribal Members: Dee Edwards, Monty Parazoo, Stephanie Bohetilo, Dell Dickison, Carrie Taylor, Becky Weston, Eli Dickison, Diana Norton, Marilyn Portwood, Marta Clifford, Dwanee Modrell. Also attending: spouses of Tribal Members and children of Tribal Members.
We will be sending out another mailing in the near future. Our plans also include asking each candidate where they stand on three specific issues: Enrollment, Ethics, Attendance. We are also planning to invite the candidates to our meetings to discuss issues in person with them and have them give us their perspective on the current issues facing our Tribe.
Remember, you are invited to attend our meetings. Please write to our email address for details: grenrollment@gmail.com. Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 16, 2007. We are also discussing having our meetings in other locations - Salem? Grand Ronde? Portland? Let us know if you would be willing to attend if we bring the meeting to you.
Thank you for your time. "Chaku Kanamakwst" -- Come Together
We also discussed the issue that has come up, much to our surprise, that there is a big concern as to who we are. Our intent wasn't to be a secret society. We wanted to be viewed as a group - Families for Enrollment. But not knowing who you are communicating with is a bit disconcerting, we know. So, from now on we will report on our meetings and give you a list of the attendees and who is doing which task for the cause. Unless a Tribal Member has a concern of retaliation, then their name will not be listed.
August 8, 2007 - Meeting at 1144 Gateway Loop; Springfield, OR; 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Attending Tribal Members: Dee Edwards, Monty Parazoo, Stephanie Bohetilo, Dell Dickison, Carrie Taylor, Becky Weston, Eli Dickison, Diana Norton, Marilyn Portwood, Marta Clifford, Dwanee Modrell. Also attending: spouses of Tribal Members and children of Tribal Members.
We will be sending out another mailing in the near future. Our plans also include asking each candidate where they stand on three specific issues: Enrollment, Ethics, Attendance. We are also planning to invite the candidates to our meetings to discuss issues in person with them and have them give us their perspective on the current issues facing our Tribe.
Remember, you are invited to attend our meetings. Please write to our email address for details: grenrollment@gmail.com. Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 16, 2007. We are also discussing having our meetings in other locations - Salem? Grand Ronde? Portland? Let us know if you would be willing to attend if we bring the meeting to you.
Thank you for your time. "Chaku Kanamakwst" -- Come Together
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