Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe sets in-person election date
MASHPEE — The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has set a new date for its general election after a Mashpee District Court judge found that mail-in voting was against the tribe’s constitution.
The election is set to take place in person on May 16.
The Tribal Council set the date during its emergency meeting Monday, although the tribe’s Election Committee still has some work to do, Tribal Council Vice Chair Jessie “Little Doe” Baird said.
Tribal Council member Aaron Tobey Jr., along with two other tribal members, sued members of the Tribal Council and the Election Committee regarding the election, which was originally set for March 26. The Tribal Council and Election Committee decided to hold the election solely through mail-in ballots instead of in person in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tobey and the other plaintiffs argued that it was against the tribe’s constitution, which states that voting in tribal elections shall be by “secret ballot cast at polls.” Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Alternate District Court Judge Amanda L. WhiteEagle agreed.
On May 16, registered tribal voters will pick the next tribal council chairperson as well as other government positions. Nelson Andrews Jr., Kyle Bassett, Aaron Tobey Jr. and Brian Weeden are vying for chairperson.
Carlton Hendricks Jr. and Edwina “Winnie” Johnson-Graham are seeking the vice chair position on the tribal council. Ann Marie Askew and Cassie Jackson are running for tribal council secretary, and Kimberly Frye is running against incumbent David Weeden for a spot on the tribal council.
Charles “Bobby” Foster, Angela Marcellino, Winona Pocknett, Karen Edwards Siegel and Marie Stone are running to be the tribe’s next treasurer.
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