Members of the Wrangell Cooperative Association are encouraged to come vote on Wednesday, with nine candidates putting their names in for four seats on the Council.
The open seats each carry a two-year term, going to the four candidates with the most votes. Those elected to the positions will be sworn in at the next scheduled meeting, on a date to be announced in mid-February.
Current president Sam Campus and sitting members Arthur Larsen, Tammi Meissner and Frank Churchill Jr. will be standing for re-election. Timothy Gillen Sr., James Stough Sr., Catherine White, Bill Willard and Jana Wright will join them on the ballot.
Tribal administrator Aaron Angerman explained there is still time to submit oneself as a write-in candidate. One needs to be a WCA member, and has to let the WCA office know before the polls open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
“We ask that you declare by coming to the office,” said Angerman.
To be able to vote, a person must be a registered member of WCA. One new aspect to voting this year is the extension of the vote to members aged 18 and older. Previously one had to be at least 21 years old to participate in elections, and WCA was one of the few tribal groups left in the state to still do so.
“It’s been an ongoing issue,” Angerman commented. “We were one of the holdouts, and finally it got changed.”
At the Meeting of the Association in November the Tribe’s constitution was amended to broaden the vote.
Voting will be held at the new Cultural Center from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Alaska Island Community Services plans to set up an information booth at the center for most of the time the polls are open, allowing a representative to discuss health care options with members of the Tribe. In particular,
she will be able to answer questions and
identify the proper forms to file for exemptions from the Affordable Care Act, as it pertains to Medicaid and Indian Health Services plans.
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