Tribal election season will soon be underway as Citizen Potawatomi Nation voters prepare to elect candidates for two Oklahoma legislative seats — Districts 9 and 12. CPN members will cast their ballots during the election on June 27, 2020, that takes place during the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Family Reunion Festival near Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Candidates must be 18 years old prior to Election Day. Legislative Districts 9 and 12 are located in Oklahoma but have no geographic boundaries within the state. When applying, candidates must select one specific seat they wish to run for on their filing form. They must also have lived in that selected district for at least six months prior to Election Day.
Declarations of candidacy must be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service and in the CPN Election Committee’s hands no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Request filing forms via email at elections@potawatomi.org or by calling 405-275-3121 and requesting the CPN Election Committee.
Applications will be available on Dec. 1, 2019.
Current incumbents are District 9’s Paul Wesselhöft and District 12’s Paul Schmidlkofer.
Tribal members will also vote on the budget that manages the Nation’s trust earnings. No principal from the fund is spent, but the budget pays for national service projects and the executive branch of the Tribe.
CPN members who are at least 18 years old on Election Day will be eligible to vote. All eligible Tribal citizens living in Oklahoma can vote for each individual candidate for legislative seats 9 and 12 as well as the Tribal budget. CPN members around the country can cast ballots for the Tribal budget.