Mohawk Council of Kahnawake elections coming up
The community will soon know who is in the mix to fill out the next Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK), with nominations only a couple weeks away and the general election set for Saturday, July 6.
Nominations for MCK grand chief and council chiefs will be accepted from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 25, at the Kahnawake Services Complex. Each candidate needs to be nominated and seconded by Kahnawa’kehró:non, who must come prepared with proper identification, including band card and any other relevant documentation.
The nominator and seconder should come as a trio with the candidate they are nominating, but if the prospective candidate cannot attend, they can contact electoral officer Angus Montour to confirm they will accept the nomination.
A preliminary list of candidates for the three-year mandate will be released on nomination day, with an official list expected about three days later after the eligibility of the candidates has been vetted.
Using history as a guide, Montour expects 30-35 candidates to be nominated and around 1,500 voters or more to come out and make their voices heard in the election; about 1,400 people cast a ballot for grand chief in 2021.
“For a reserve, I think Kahnawake has the most people voting, by population of course,” said Montour.
Kahnawa’kehró:non will have the chance to hear candidates make their pitches to the community at Meet the Candidates Night, which will be held on Tuesday, June 25, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
At the event, each candidate will have five minutes to make a speech. These will be broadcast live on Facebook, but only those in attendance will hear the question-and-answer period that follows, in which candidates respond directly to community questions and concerns.
Advance polls will be held at the Golden Age Club on Thursday, June 27, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The election day voting site is yet to be determined, but community members will have from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to cast their ballot.
Elections are mandated to be held on the first Saturday of July, a convention tied to Kahnawake’s ironworking legacy, according to Montour. “First week of July was always chosen because a lot of the men were away for iron work, so they came home for the July 4 week,” he said.
Montour has previously headed up the 2018 and 2021 MCK general elections. “It’s always an honour,” he said.
This year is expected to represent a return to normalcy after the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic when the last general election was held in 2021.
“Compared to that, this year should be quite a breeze. I don’t anticipate any problems,” he said.
Those seeking more information can contact the electoral officer at angus.montour@kahnawakeelections.com or 514-442-9114.
marcus@easterndoor.com
Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door
