UKB member calls for revisions to election ordinance
Public comments focus on election procedures as chief says withdrawal of M-Opinion does not alter treaty rights
TAHLEQUAH — A member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma urged tribal leaders Saturday to revise the tribe’s election ordinance, questioning whether recent amendments received approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Anile Locust raised the concerns during the public comment portion of the tribe’s monthly meeting, where she reviewed changes made to the election ordinance in 2022 and 2025 and outlined what she described as procedural concerns.
Locust said amendments adopted in 2022 added qualifications requiring candidates to be Exclusive Members for five years before seeking office, prohibited candidates from having served as elected officials of another federally recognized tribe and required candidates to possess a driver’s license and high school diploma.
“The problem is, no amendments were approved by the Department of the Interior, per the Constitution,” Locust said.
Locust also discussed changes included in the Election Ordinance of 2025, including the removal of a five-year accounting experience requirement for candidates seeking the office of treasurer, staggered terms for Election Board members and a provision prohibiting immediate family members from serving together on the Election Board.
Section 102 of the ordinance states its provisions cannot be changed from the date candidate registration opens until the Election Board certifies final results.
She said Election Board members were unaware of that provision because updated copies of the ordinance had not been distributed before they were sworn into office.
“It was only then they found the rule, ‘No family members could serve on the Election Board,’” Locust said. “They had already been sworn in the previous month in April.”
Locust also said the Election Board lacked copies of the election ordinance, computers, office supplies and a budget when members assumed their duties. She said she provided board members with a copy of the ordinance and offered to help edit it.
During his monthly report, Chief Jeff Wacoche addressed the Department of the Interior’s withdrawal of M-Opinion M-37084, saying the action did not alter the tribe’s treaty-based rights.
“While the withdrawal is a setback, it is important to remember our treaty-based rights did not originate with that opinion and do not disappear with the withdrawal,” Wacoche said. “Our rights are grounded in treaties, federal law and historical records.”
Wacoche said the tribe will continue pursuing its gaming application before the Department of the Interior while defending what he described as the tribe’s treaty-based rights.
“We remain committed to ensuring the United Keetoowah Band’s voice is heard and our sovereignty is respected,” Wacoche said.
In other business, Tribal Secretary Caleb Grimmett-Smith reported the enrollment office received five new membership applications and one request for relinquishment. Treasurer Sonja Gourd asked to table the financial report until Comptroller Meosha Rambo arrived.
Tax Commission Chairwoman Joyce Hawk reported the tribal tag office generated $24,718 in June revenue, including $8,000 for the tribe and $1,627 designated for education.
Justin Fuson, interim executive director of the UKB Corporate Board following Woody Anderson’s departure, said the board has distributed $432,113 to the tribe this year, including $32,100 for the summer youth program. Fuson also announced Echota Health will host a community health fair Sept. 26 at Norris Park.