Metis Heading To the Polls In June

Metis Heading To the Polls In June

Monday, May 14, 2007 at 15:43

 

 

The date has been set for a new Metis Nation of Saskatchewan election in the province.

 

Voters will head to the polls on June 27th.

 

The decision was made by chief electoral officer David Hamilton.

 

He says he knows some Metis local presidents wanted to see the vote happen in the fall — but Hamilton says he didn’t want to wait that long because things are ready now.

 

Nominations for the vote will be held on May 23rd.

 

Hamilton says a new voter system is being used for this election and voters can register at the end of the month.

 

He says they will get their new voting cards in the mail sometime after that.

 

The new cards will include a photo of the individual cardholders.

 

The election itself is being conducted under the 2007 Saskatchewan Metis Election Act, which was ratified at a general assembly of Metis citizens last month.

 

The vote will come just over three years after the organization’s controversial 2004 election, which saw election results tampered with.

 

Six people have been sentenced on charges of forgery stemming from that election. Two more will have their cases heard later this year, and the RCMP is hinting there will be more people charged.