Fort Belknap calls for more on voting offices

The Fort Belknap Indian Community Council has written a letter to Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch requesting that she use her authority to direct Blaine County to establish “fully equal satellite voting offices” on the reservation.

In the Jan. 27, letter obtained by the Havre Daily News, the council said Blaine County seemed unwilling to open such offices on the reservation to provide those who live on or near reservations with in-person and late-voter registration opportunities.

“It is obvious that Blaine County will only provide our Tribal Members with 40% of the access to the ballot as provided by non-Indian members,” the letter said.

A voting analysis conducted by Blaine County was said to be included in the letter sent to McCulloch.

A spokesperson for the secretary said the office has received the letter. However, they did not offer any further information.

The Havre Daily News attempted to reach the Blaine County commissioners, as well as the county’s clerk and recorder’s office. However, neither the commissioners nor the clerk and recorder could be reached before this story went to print.

Fort Belknap Indian Community Council President Mark Azure reiterated that the tribe wants nothing less than what it sees is equal access to the ballot box.

“If the county off the reservation gets five days, then we should get five days,” Azure said.

Blaine County has offered to open such an office on Fort Belknap on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. in the 30 days preceding a federal or state election, should the tribe provide certain services and meet certain requirements, as laid out in an out of court settlement.

The settlement was part of a 2012 suit filed against McCulloch, as well as Blaine, Bighorn and Rosebud counties by plaintiffs from the Fort Belknap Agency, the Crow Agency and Lame Deer. Plaintiffs from the three reservations argued that those who want to register to vote later in the election season or drop off an absentee ballot must travel long distances to their county courthouses off their reservations.

Plaintiffs argued that the lack of reliable transportation for many on the reservation, combined with the long distances they must travel to take advantage of those voter services, is a violation of their voting rights.

The 2014 private settlement said that all three countries would move their election offices from their locations in their respective county seats of government to a facility on the reservation selected by tribal officials, that met requirements under the Americans With Disabilities Act and that has phone service and is hardwired for the Internet. The tribal governments would also have to sign an indemnification agreement with the county.

Despite being named in the settlement agreement, however, Azure said that none of the four representatives from the tribe who were involved in the discussions had signed off on the deal.

The four tribal members who were present at the talks, including tribal member Donovan Archambault, Azure said, either did not sign off on the agreement or were there as individuals and not as representatives of the tribe.

Therefore, the council argues, Fort Belknap is not bound by the terms of the settlement.

The council has said that the proposal for an election office open twice a week was a 2/5ths solution, because it afforded those on the reservation two of the five days that those off the reservation are given to access in-person absentee ballot and late-voter registration, as those who live off the reservation.

Azure described the pace of negotiations as “slow.” However, he said, both sides will need to find time in their schedules to get together and craft an agreement.

“We want to get this in place,” Azure said. “We’ve got our process and they got thiers, but we just haven’t gotten together yet.”

Monday, the Montana Secretary of State Office announced that Glacier, Roosevelt and Rosebud counties will be opening an alternate election office on reservations. Big Horn County is opening two such offices.

The Secretary’s office also said that talks between Chouteau, Pondera Lake, Hill and Valley Counties and reservations within their jurisdictions are ongoing.