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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1992)
Smoke Signals September 1992 Page 2 TRIBAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION WHO MAY VOTE: Any enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon who will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the scheduled Tribal Council election. APPLICATIONS FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTS: Each person applying for an absentee ballot must fill out and sign an application form. Application forms shall be available at the Grand Ronde Tribal Offices in Grand Ronde. The application forms may also be requested from the Election Board. No request for an application shall be valid after 5:00 P.M. on the last working day prior to the election. DATE AND LOCATION OF ELECTIONS: The Tribal Council Election will be held Saturday, September 12, 1992, at the new Tribal Offices in Grand Ronde. An absentee ballot request form and this year's candidates are listed below. 1992 CANDIDATES FOR TRIBAL COUNCIL: (The candidates are listed in the order in which they will appear on the ballots.) Wilmadene Butler Valarene Grout Kathryn Harrison Andrew Jenness Earl Floyd LaBonte Eugene R. LaBonte Edward Larsen Jr. ... Reynold Leno Patricia Martin ' Robert Mercier Michael Reibach PLEASE USE THIS REQUEST FORM OR A PHOTO COPY OF THIS FORM TO MAKE AN ABSFNTEE BALLOT REQUEST ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST , an eligible voter Print Enrolled Name Roll Number of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon , wish to have an absentee ballot sent to me at the following address: Mailing Address City State Zip Code MUST BE SIGNED TO BE VALID: Mail this request to: Election Committee P.O. Box 99 Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 I need a voter signature card mailed to me ( ) yes ( ) no PARTICIPATION IS THE KEY TO UPCOMING TRIBAL ELECTIONS By Tracy Olson, Editor Right now, everyone in America is being bombarded by the phrases and actions of two individuals: President Bush and Governor Clinton. Now that the Olympics are over people are beginning to turn their attention to the 1992 Presidential Election. But for the people of Grand Ronde and Grand Ronde tribal members, another, more immediate election is at hand. Tribal Council Elections. I certainly don't mean to compare a national presidential race to the Tribal Council Elections. On the contrary, the Council Elections are 'far more interesting. I personally know many tribal members who have thought about this election a great deal. I know tribal members who have not given it a moment of thought. Either way, the fact remains that the Tribal Council Elections affect the lives of tribal members in one form or another. The ptople we elect to office are the people we, as members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, have chosen to represent us to be entrusted with our land, our dollars, our future. Considering this, why would any tribal member not exercise hisher right to vote in the upcoming election? Maybe the (potential) voter does not live in the Grand Ronde area. Maybe the voter never bothered to learn anything about the candidates running for office. Perhaps the voter doesn't particularly care about tribal government. Or maybe it is because the potential voter, like many other voters, feels he or she cannot make a difference alone. I have heard myself utter several of these same excuses a time or two before. I have come to realize, however, that exercising my right to vote does not necessarily mean I am unhappy with the current tribal situation, nor does it mean I want things to remain as they are. It simply means I choose to be an active participant in the tribe's governmental process. Who I vote for and why is my own business. Quite often I see bumper stickers and buttons that say I'M A DEMOCRAT AND I VOTE or I'M A REPUBLICAN AND I VOTE. I would like to have a button that reads I'M A TRIBAL MEMBER AND I VOTE. There are too many of us who look at voting as a chore, something they don't really want to do. Instead we should be viewing our vote as an opportunity to participate in our tribes' future. The key to any election is participation. Don't stand idly by and let others make the decisions for ,you! ,3e heard), Even if you don't live in Oregon, chances are you or someone in your life has benefited from the tribe. But voting, you can make sure the programs you care about are maintained. Maybe you got to attend college because of the tribe's Education Program. Perhaps you or a family member received health or dental care free of charge. Or maybe you know someone who was able to free himhersclf from a life of addiction through the Drug and Alcohol Program; If you can think of a way the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have affected. your life, then you have a vested interest in tribal politics. It all boils down to realizing where your interests lie, and voting for the candidates whom you believe will best serve these interests. It's true, the people you vote for may not be the ones who end up on Tribal Council. But there is a sense of personal satisfaction that one receives by voting. A certain empowerment that comes with knowing however small a contribution, you have made a difference. A handful of votes in either direction may not make much of a difference to Mr. Bush or Mr. Clinton, but it does in Grand Ronde. Smoke Signals EDITOR TRACY OLSON Smoke Signals is published monthly by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, 961 5 Grand Ronde Rd., Grand Ronde, OR 97347. Articles appearing in Smoke Signals are the sole responsibil ity of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Submissions of articles, poetry, short stories, artwork and photos are encouraged. Smoke Signals does not assume responsibility for unsolicited material and does not guarantee publication upon submission.
