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Reminder: the Secretarial Election is a federal election

While the Sault Tribe’s upcoming secretarial election affects the way the tribe is governed, it is important that tribal citizens note this is a federally administered election conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

These special elections are led by a secretarial election board with a BIA-appointed chairman. Sault Tribe citizens are asked to direct questions regarding the election to Secretarial Election Chairman Nicholas VanAlstine. Mr. VanAlstine may be reached at 906‑632‑6809.

With tabulation night and the deadline to submit ballots set for Nov. 19, the Sault Tribe encourages all registered voters to return their ballots ASAP to ensure their vote counts. For more information on the secretarial election, including the proposed amended constitution as well as the current Sault Tribe constitution, please visit https://saulttribe.com/government/secretarial-election.

Sault Tribe Secretarial Election ballots mailed out

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ secretarial election enters its final month, with ballots scheduled to be mailed to registered voters by Oct. 26 and election results expected Nov. 19.

Tribal citizens will vote “yes” or “no” on proposed constitutional amendments that would establish three separate, co-equal branches of tribal government: legislative, executive and judicial.

The federally administered election is overseen by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and a Secretarial Election Board. Voter registration closed Oct. 19, and only eligible tribal citizens who registered for this election will receive ballots.

Important upcoming election dates include:

• Oct. 23: Final registered voters List to be posted
• Oct. 26: Ballot packets mailed to registered voters
• Nov. 19: Deadline for ballots to be received 3 p.m. EST. Ballot counting begins at 4 p.m.
• Nov. 24: Deadline to submit written challenges to election results by 4:30 p.m. EST.

Registered voters may return completed ballots through the U.S. Postal Service or hand deliver them on Nov. 19 only, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST, at DreamMakers Theater at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie.

Ballot packets will include instructions for completing and returning ballots. Ballots will be opened and counted beginning at 4 p.m. on Nov. 19 at DreamMakers Theater, with results expected to be posted that evening.

If approved and certified by the Secretary of the Interior, the amended constitution would take effect.

To prepare for a potential transition, the Sault Tribe Board of Directors approved a Constitution Implementation Plan on Sept. 22. The plan establishes an 18-month timeline for updating tribal laws and codes while maintaining government operations, programs and services.

Tribal citizens can find additional information about the secretarial election, voting procedures, important deadlines and the proposed changes to tribal government on the secretarial election landing page.

Read the Proposed Amended Sault Tribe Constitution here.

Details: Category: Child Placement; Published: 13 March 2019

MDHHS Investigations involving Sault Tribe Children and Families

Upon receiving information that a child may be a member or eligible for membership in the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the caseworker must contact the Sault Tribe ACFS Office via phone at 800‑726‑0093 or 906‑632‑5250 and request to speak with Tribal ICWA/MIFPA contact to provide notification of an investigation involving a tribal child and to begin the engagement of the Tribe into the provision of culturally appropriate active efforts. The caseworker must also complete and process the MDHHS 5598.
The completed MDHHS 5598 may be submitted to:

Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Melissa VanLuven, ICWA Program Director
2218 Shunk Road, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783

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Sault Tribe Family Support Services:

Sault Tribe has a primary service area in the following 7 counties in the Upper Peninsula: Chippewa, Mackinac, Luce, Alger, Schoolcraft, Marquette, and Delta. When conducting investigations within these service areas, the Tribe is able to provide a variety of direct family support services to include: Parenting Education, Family Continuity, Adolescent In-Home Assistance, and Prevention. A referral for family support services can be made at any point Children’s Protective Services is working with a tribal family. To obtain a referral form, please do so by calling 800‑726‑0093.

Sault Tribe Children’s Protective Services:

Sault Tribe conducts Children and Adult Protective Services investigations for tribal children and families who reside on Sault Tribe Trust Land. Sault Tribe also has specific after hour’s agreements with MDHHS to allow MDHHS staff to conduct emergency investigations on Trust Land. Sault Tribe has a Centralized Intake Unit Routing Protocol on file with the Centralized Intake Program to allow for routine referral routing and follow up involving CPS/APS referrals that are called into the Centralized Intake Number. The designated Sault Tribe contact for the CIU program is the following mailbox: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Court Intervention:

If it is determined that court intervention is needed on a case the caseworker must call the Tribal ICWA/MIFPA contact immediately to ensure verbal notification to the Tribe of the pending court action as well as to develop a plan of action including safety planning, exploring and identifying potential placement resources, and requesting QEW contact information. The caseworker must ensure the Tribal ICWA/MIFPA contact is provided a copy of the petition as soon as it’s available/filed. The caseworker must also ensure that a MDHHS 120 with the supporting attachments is completed and processed in compliance with the law and MDHHS policy.