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Secretarial Election set to be held on or before Sept. 26

Sault Tribe members, mark your calendars. The Secretarial Election on proposed constitutional amendments establishing a three-branch government is set to be held on or before Sept. 26, 2026.

Once the Secretarial Election Board is formed, it will establish the official election date and election timeline. The Sault Tribe is accepting volunteers to serve on the board through July 3. The Board of Directors will randomly select one tribal citizen from each voting unit and two at-large tribal citizens during its July 7 meeting.
Tribal citizens interested in serving on the Secretarial Election Board are encouraged to submit their interest by emailing legal@saulttribe.net.

In May, the Sault Tribe Board of Directors unanimously voted to submit proposed constitutional amendments to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), beginning the Secretarial Election process. The election is administered by the BIA and is required under federal law and Article X of the Sault Tribe Constitution.

When ballots are mailed later this summer or early fall, eligible tribal citizens will vote "yes" or "no" on whether to adopt the proposed constitutional amendments establishing three separate and equal branches of government.

To ensure ballots and election information are received, tribal citizens are encouraged to verify that their mailing address is up to date with Tribal Enrollment.

 

Constitutional Amendment Update

Resolution 2026-145 requests a secretarial election on proposed constitutional amendments and places the decision to update the tribe’s Constitution in the hands of Sault Tribe membership. The resolution will be sent to the BIA by June 19 and then the BIA will begin the federal election process. Linked below are the Resolution 2026-145 and the Attached Amended Constitution drafts. Please watch the tribe’s website and Facebook in the coming months for updates on this.

3 Branch Separation Amendments Attachment for Reso 2026-145

2026-145 Authorizing Amended Constitution Submission for a Secretarial Election

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Application

Heating Assistance, in which eligible tribal members are provided with a credit on their account with their primary heat provider

Crisis Energy Assistance, in which members are provided a credit on their account with their primary heat provider (target households)

Cooling Assistance, in which members are provided a credit on their account with their primary electric provider (target households)

 

Target Households are defined as:

  • 60 years or older (refers to applicant who is an enrolled tribal member)
  • Disabled (Sault Tribe members receiving SSI or SSI Disability in own name)
  • Age 5 years or under (child must be an enrolled Sault Tribe member and a permanent year-around resident of the tribal service area) 

    ANDThe household income is at or below 100 percent of poverty, 125 percent for Crisis;

    AND
    The household demonstrates energy need (credit on primary heating accounts less than $50 will be accepted as a demonstration of need).

 

In order to process your application, we will need copies of the following:

  • Sault Tribe membership card and/or Social Security cards for all household members
  • Social Security cards for head of household
  • Proof of income for the past three months for all members of the household or current food stamp verification

    Income includes employment, child support (must have printout from the Friend of the Court), FIP grant, food stamps, workmen’s comp, Social Security award letters, etc.
     
  • A copy of the heat bill for heating and crisis and electric for cooling in the applicant’s name

We are unable to process your application without this information.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program application.pdf

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Photo by Ken Bosma / CC BY