Quick Access

Unofficial Secretarial Election Notice

The secretarial election process to determine if the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians adopts an amended constitution creating a three separate co-equal branch government is under way. Here are a set of dates to keep an eye on starting next week with election packet mailings and going through tabulation night on Nov. 19.

Beginning Sept. 23, secretarial election notice packets will be sent via U.S. Mail to the mailing addresses of Sault Tribe citizens who are 18 years of age or older on or before Nov. 19, 2026. These packets include copies of the proposed amended constitution, the Constiution, and voter registration forms. Voter registration forms must be returned to the Secretarial Election Board no later than 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 19.

The only way to participate in this secretarial election is by returning your registration form on time by U.S. Mail. If you are eligible to vote and do not receive your packet, you should contact the Secretarial Election Board chairman or a board member.

Following the deadline to receive voter registration forms on Oct. 19, the initial Registered Voters List will be posted at the Sault Tribe Governmental Office and at the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Michigan Agency in Sault Ste. Marie. The lists are expected to be posted by 4:30 p.m. EDT or shortly thereafter on Oct. 19.

Sault Tribe citizens may challenge the inclusion, exclusion or omission of a name on the Registered Voters List. These written challenges must be submitted to the Secretarial Election Board Chairman no later than 4:30 p.m. EDT on Oct. 22 and must include the name of the affected individual or individuals, the reason why the name in question should be added or removed from the Registered Voters List, and supporting documentation. If an individual failed to submit their registration form on time, that person is precluded from challenging their own omission from the list. The Final Registered Voters List will be posted on or about 4:30 p.m. EDT on Oct. 23 at the Sault Tribe Governmental Office and the BIA, Michigan Agency.

Shortly after the Registered Voters List is finalized, a Mailout Ballot Packet will be sent by U.S. Mail to each registered voter on Oct. 26. These packets will include instructions on how to submit your ballot. They must be returned by U.S. Mail by Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. EDT or for one day only they may be hand delivered to the DreamMakers Theater at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Remember, you will be voting “yes” or “no” on if the Constitution will be amended to create three separate and equal branches of government. This will be the only question on the ballot.

Ballots will be opened and countered beginning at 4 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the DreamMakers Theater. Following the counting, election results will be posted on or about Nov. 19 at the Sault Tribe Governmental Office and BIA, Michigan Agency.
Registered voters may challenge the results of the election with a written challenge that includes substantiating evidence. These challenges must be received by the Chairman of the Secretarial Election Board by Nov. 24 at 4:30 p.m. EDT. Challenges received after this deadline will not be considered.

If Sault Tribe citizens vote “yes” to adopt an amended constitution, the results of the secretarial election go to the U.S. Department of the Interior for certification. If certified, the amended constitution takes effect establishing a three-branch government for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Tribal Council would then have up to 18 months to update Tribal laws as required by the newly amended constitution.

The Sault Tribe Governmental Office is located at 523 Ashmun St., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783. The BIA, Michigan Agency building is located at 2845 Ashmun St., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783. The BIA’s Nicholas VanAlstine chairs the Secretarial Election Board. The Secretarial Election Board is composed of the following Sault Tribe citizens: Carolyn Dale, Jackie Minton, Colleen Utter, T.J. Derwin, Taylor Spade, Clarence Hudak, and Emily Smith.

For more on the secretarial election and to view the proposed amended constitution visit here.

Proposed 3-Branch Amended Sault Tribe Constitution

 

Adoption Services

Details
Category: Child Placement

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, through the services of the Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency, has provided adoption services since 1985 through a Purchase of Services (POS) contract with the Department of Human Service (DHS). It has been, and continues to be, the goal of the Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency to expedite the adoption process for all tribal children requiring this service.

To minimize the trauma to the children, relative placements are the first priority of placement at the time of removal. If and when adoption becomes the permanent plan, relatives are the first priority of placement. In practice, the majority of tribal children in need of an adoptive placement have been adopted by the relative who provided care prior to the termination of parental rights. This practice provides the following benefits to the child:

  • Remaining with a member of their family of origin, continuity of relationships
  • Minimal moves
  • Timely adoption
  • Maintaining cultural ties

It is the intent of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, through the Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency and ACFS, to continue the services delineated above and refine these to ensure the continuation of time-limited reunification and adoption support services. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians will continue to work collaboratively with DHS through participation of the tribal-state partnership to further enhance and refine services to tribal children and their families to facilitate early reunification and when necessary adoption services. This is also addressed through the concurrent permanency planning process as previously described.

At times, Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency adoptions take longer as there are extra requirements that need to be met when pursuing to finalize the adoption of an Indian child. At the time a child becomes eligible for adoption, the tribe’s expectation is that the agency will again complete a diligent search of relatives and that tribal approval via the Sault Tribe Child Welfare Committee will be obtained at every step in the process. At times, this lengthens the time for children to be adopted but it does ensure that the tribal priorities are tantamount to the decisions that are made.

In the event that a child becomes eligible for adoption and there are no adoptive resources for the child(ren), concerted efforts are made to identify an appropriate adoptive resource. In the state of Michigan, all children for whom an adoptive resource is not identified within six months after the termination of parental rights must be registered on MARE (Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange). MARE receives information regarding children available for adoption from the DHS central tracking system.

© 2026 - Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Ken Bosma / CC BY