Elections INFORMATION
Elections Process
The election process is designed to ensure every one of the 22 communities that make up Tlingit & Haida can make their voices heard. When communities elect their respective delegates, those delegates will attend Tribal Assembly and vote for the Tlingit & Haida President, Executive Council Officers, and the Tribal Court Chief Justice and Judges.
At the 2025 Tribal Assembly, the following changes were adopted:
- The number of eligible voters required to entitle a recognized Community to a Delegate shall be 275, rounded down to the nearest whole number.
- Communities within the homelands territory of Southeast Alaska will be allocated no fewer than 2 Delegates and no more than 20 Delegates.
- Communities outside the homelands territory of Southeast Alaska will be allocated no fewer than 2 Delegates and no more than 4 Delegates.
Tribal citizens who live more than 100 miles away from a registered community are able to select the voting community of their choice; tribal citizens who live within 100 miles are automatically assigned. Tribal citizens must be 18 or older to be nominated and/or vote in their community’s election of delegates. Elections are held every even-numbered year in the spring.
Message from Elections Committee Chair
New Tlingit & Haida Community
In 2024, the Tribal Assembly designated a new Community to elect Delegates. Portland, Oregon is now listed as one of the 22 recognized communities in the Rules of Election. This is the first time in the history of Tlingit & Haida a new Community has been authorized!
New Delegate Apportionment
In 2025, the Tribal Assembly approved changes to the apportionment of Delegates.
Delegate representation will be based on one delegate for every 275 tribal citizens age 18 and older as of delegate election date, subject to minimums and maximums on the number of delegates which vary by location.
Within the Territory (Southeast Alaska), the minimum number of delegates shall be two and the maximum 20. Outside the Territory, the minimum number of delegates shall be two and the maximum four.
What does this mean for Tlingit & Haida?
- Empowerment & Representation: Tribal citizens in the Portland area can now organize, adopt a Community Council constitution, and prepare to elect delegates.
- Automatic Enrollment: All enrolled tribal citizens living within a 100-mile radius of Portland will automatically be registered in the Portland Community.
- Community Choice: Tribal citizens living outside the 100-mile radius of Portland—or outside any of the other 21 communities—may choose to register with ANY of the 22 recognized communities.
Next Steps
To ensure that you are properly represented, we encourage all tribal citizens to verify their mailing and physical address with the Program Compliance Office by emailing Enrollment@tlingitandhaida.gov or calling 907.463.7146. You can also updated your contact information and the community you are registered to by clicking the button below.
Gunalchéesh, Háw’aa (Thank You),
Jan Peele, Elections Committee Chair
Election Target Dates
COMMUNITY ELECTION INFORMATION
To view your community’s election results, find your community’s page below.