House Bill Amended Regarding Tribal Voting

Roosevelt County commissioners seem more comfortable with a House bill regarding tribal voting after a new amendment was approved.

House Bill 613 originally was requiring two satellite election offices on each reservation. The amendment changed the bill to require at least one satellite election office. Rep. Sharon Peregoy, D-Crow Agency, is the bill’s sponsor. The bill is called the Montana Native American Voting Rights Act.

The bill’s second reading passed the House by a 53-47 margin on Monday, March 29.

Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy, D-Crow Agency, was the bill’s sponsor. She explained the cost of the satellite offices will be divided between the counties and the tribes.

“The tribes want to meet half-way to establish this,” Peregoy said.

She added that good-faith efforts by the counties and tribes to have satellite offices have worked well as long as there’s communication between the two parties.

Roosevelt County has been already offering a satellite office during elections.

“It’s amended now where we can live with it,” Commissioner Gary Macdonald said of the bill. “We couldn’t live with the original bill.”

He said a second satellite office would result in at least two additional county employees being hired.

The office must be open at least 30 days prior to the election.

“We know, from records, that they are only used mostly the last two weeks,” Macdonald said.

Floyd Azure, Fort Peck tribal chairman, feels two satellite sites are needed in the area.

“We’re so far apart and spread our on this reservation,” Azure said.

The bill will still need to be passed by the Senate and signed by the governor.

“We will watch it real close on the Senate side because it could be amended again,” Macdonald said.