MVSKOKE RESERVATION – One Mvskoke citizen is concerned she will soon lose the right to vote for all representatives in tribal elections. A law adopted by the National Council at the October 2024 Quarterly Session that adds a new ballot initiative for citizens to vote on in this year’s tribal election is the topic of citizen forums and discussion. Mvskoke Media previously provided coverage on the bill in an article published on Nov. 27. NCA 24-096, the ballot initiative, proposes amendments to Article IV and Article VI of the Constitution of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to re-establish district voting.
Mvskoke citizen Joy Sweger is worried if the ballot initiative is passed, it will mean that citizens like her who live outside of the MCN’s jurisdictional boundaries will not have the ability to have their voice fully heard during elections. She is afraid voters are not one hundred percent clear on what the ballot initiative is.“There’s not enough detail in what they’re telling me to make a good decision,“ Sweger said. “It’s very impacting how it would affect me and everyone else including in the districts and out of districts.”
As the law currently stands all Mvskoke citizens who are registered to vote can vote for National Council Representatives in all districts.
And if accepted by voters the new law will only allow registered voters to vote for National Council representatives from their home district. If a voter does not have a home district, they are required to declare one and will be considered a legal residence of that district for purposes of voting in elections.
When searching for the specific legislative document for NCA 24-096, Sweger found it hard to pull up the pdf file online. She claimed that she reached out to the National Council’s office for help, but did not have luck in contacting anyone to answer her questions.
According to Sweger, she is not the only one in the community who has voiced her opinion on the initiative. When speaking with fellow citizens, she has received varying feedback.
“I get mixed (opinions),” Sweger said. “Some of them are not aware, some of them are asking how to register, in that case I send them the link and the form. All I’m trying to do is get some answers, that’s all.”
The Election Board
Mvskoke Media reached out to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Election Board for clarification on NCA 24-096. MCN Election Board Chair Sara Barnett said that Article IV, Section nine of NCA 24-096 will not take away at-large citizens’ right to vote. The Election board statement reads,
“This proposed question, if passed by a three-fourths vote of the people, would mark a return to ‘in-district only voting’. This means that citizens would only be eligible to vote for National Council representatives for their home district. All eligible voters would still participate in the elections of Chief, Second Chief, and any future Constitutional amendments.
Article IV, Section 9 of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Constitution requires all eligible voters to have a designated home district. For citizens who live on the reservation, the ‘home district’ is the one in which they reside; for at-large citizens, or those living off the reservation, the home district is assigned one of two ways. First, the voter may select their home district at the time they complete their voter registration or voter registration update form(s). However, if they fail to select a home district, the Okmulke District will be assigned as their home district (as is clearly stated on the voter registration form).”
The MCN Election Board’s statement says that for an amendment to pass it requires a three-fourths vote of the people. According to Article IX of the MCN Constitution, an amendment must receive “a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the eligible voters who vote in special election called for said purpose by the Principal Chief pursuant to the rules and regulations that the Muscogee (Creek) National Council shall prescribe.” Mvskoke Media reached out to the Election Board again to clarify this detail. They responded with the following revision to their original statement,“This proposed question, if passed by a two-thirds vote of the people (Article IX of the MCN Constitution), would mark a return to ‘in-district only voting’.”
Section 7 of Article IV states “All eligible voters shall be allowed to vote for the Principal Chief and Second Chief”. An eligible voter is defined as a Mvskoke citizen over the age of 18 who is registered to vote. Section 9 includes at-large citizens as eligible voters. If district voting is approved, voters will only be eligible to vote for representatives running in their home district. At-large citizens will be required to select a home district to vote for those running in their home district. All eligible voters can still vote for Principal Chief and Second Chief.
Likewise, the MCN Election Board encourages all citizens who are eligible to vote to register and to continue updating their contact information with the department to ensure voter information is accurate. However, the board clarified that their statement was not provided to give guidance to voters, but to provide the exact verbiage voters will see on the ballot.
Mvskoke Media reached out to Chief’s office and the National Council for statements regarding the NCA 24-096 ballot initiative. Neither responded before the time of publishing this story.
The district voting initiative is set to appear on the primary election ballot. According to NCA 24-096, if the ballot initiative passes, “the Amendment shall have full force and be effective from the date of approval.” This means district voting could go into effect as soon as the 2027 general election.
For Mvskoke citizens who still need to register to vote, there is still time. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Aug. 27, the deadline to register to vote in person is Sept. 9. Those who need to register can do so online at muscogeenation.com/election-board/. To look up legislation on the National Council’s website, visit the agenda tab and select the year the legislation was proposed or adopted. Each individual agenda is organized by date and committee.
