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.