• Both Cheyenne and Arapaho administrations’ election boards are separately accepting candidacy filings and voter registration forms.


CONCHO, Okla. – Despite the filing period opening up, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are still waiting to see whether the federal government will conduct or observe its 2013 election.

On April 30, the election commission affiliated with Leslie Wandrie-Harjo’s government received a written request from the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Concho Agency to submit operational documentation from the tribes’ previous elections. On the advice of their attorney, the commissioners are working off of copies of the original documents, which are locked up in the tribes’ complex in Concho, Okla.

“The people are demanding an answer,” Speaker Jane Nightwalker said. “I have even had some of my constituents say we should remove folks if we don’t have a fair election. We just want to settle this in a peaceful manner. We don’t want physical altercations – that’s what we want to avoid.”

As per the tribes’ constitution, the candidates’ filing period began May 1 and closes June 1. The primary election is scheduled for Oct. 8 and the general election is scheduled for Nov. 5. Along with four legislative positions, the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are up for election this year.

Wandrie-Harjo’s government submitted a written request in January for the BIA to conduct the election. Last fall, the tribal council recognized by Janice Prairie Chief-Boswell, passed a similar resolution to ask the Department of Interior to conduct the election. A resolution to rescind that request was tabled at a special tribal council meeting March 3 in Hammon, Okla.

The constitutionally-bound tribes have been dealing with a leadership schism for more than two years. Multiple appeals on the split and its implications are pending before the Interior Board of Indian Appeals – including a third written request for response filed last month by the Wandrie-Harjo administration -- but no timeline has been given on a ruling.

In the interim, each administration’s election commission has sent out notices that as the constitutional election board, it is accepting candidacy filings and voter registration forms. The election commission affiliated with Prairie Chief-Boswell’s administration is working out of the tribes’ complex in Concho, Okla. The commission recognized by the Wandrie-Harjo administration has an office in El Reno, Okla., and a post office box in Weatherford, Okla.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Prairie Chief-Boswell’s administration did not respond to requests for comment.

Leslie Wandrie-Harjo’s (left) government submitted a written request in January for the BIA to conduct the election. Last fall, the tribal council recognized by Janice Prairie Chief-Boswell, right, passed a similar resolution to ask the Department of Interior to conduct the election. The two women were once political allies and were elected together to lead the Tribes.