All duly enrolled members of the NHBP who have or will have attained the age of 18 years by the date of an election shall be eligible to vote in elections governed by this code.
A. 
Under Article IV, Section 4, and Article III, Section 4, of the NHBP Constitution, a member is eligible to be a candidate in a Tribal Council Election if he or she:
(1) 
Is 21 years of age or older;
(2) 
Possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent;
(3) 
Possesses an associate's degree or higher or, in the alternative, has three (3) years of combined work or military experience;
(4) 
Has not been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, any felony, or any crime involving theft or fraud, violence against persons, or a sex offense within the last eight (8) years;
(5) 
Has not been sentenced to a prison term of one (1) year or longer within the last eight (8) years;
(6) 
Has not been removed or recalled from any salaried, elected, or appointed office within the last ten (10) years, where such conduct does not result in a conviction or plea in a court of competent jurisdiction;
(7) 
Has not become a member of NHBP through the adoption procedure set forth in Article III, Section 4, of the Constitution; and
(8) 
Does not have a spouse, parent, legal guardian, legal ward, child, or sibling on the Tribal Council for any portion of the time they would serve on Tribal Council.
B. 
The burden of establishing the qualifications for candidate eligibility is on the candidate or prospective candidate.
A. 
Any member who wishes to declare his or her candidacy, or his/her designee, shall pick up a candidacy information packet, prepared for candidates by the Election Board, at any NHBP government office (Pine Creek Administration Building or northern office in Grand Rapids). A designee is required to have a notarized letter from the candidate. Candidacy information packets shall be available thirty (30) days before the deadline to declare candidacy.
B. 
The deadline for declaring candidacy shall be 5:00 p.m. on the first full business day of November before the next general election.
C. 
Any member who fails to complete all required forms by the deadline for declaring candidacy shall be ineligible for the next scheduled election.
D. 
A member is prohibited from using NHBP equipment or e-mail addresses for completing and submitting the required forms.
A. 
Each member shall be required to certify, by written statement, that he or she meets all of the constitutional candidacy requirements.
B. 
The Election Board shall review all candidate applications and shall request additional evidence as required and conduct background investigations to verify that each candidate meets the requirements in this code and the Constitution for candidacy.
C. 
The Election Board shall consult with the NHBP Enrollment Office to verify the enrollment status of candidates and to confirm that the candidates are qualified to hold elected office under Articles III and IV of the Constitution.
D. 
If the Election Board determines that the candidate is qualified, it shall issue a signed certificate of candidacy to the candidate within ten (10) days of its receipt of confirmation from the Election Board.
E. 
If the Election Board determines that the candidate is not qualified, it shall notify the candidate within ten (10) days of its receipt of the facts or legal grounds for his or her ineligibility.
F. 
The decision of the Election Board as to whether a candidate is eligible shall be final.
A. 
Before each general election, the Election Board shall publish a list of of candidates in the January edition of the NHBP newsletter that includes each candidate's:
(1) 
Contact information;
(2) 
Biographical information; and
(3) 
If the candidate chooses, a personal statement.
B. 
The Election Board shall schedule a "Meet the Candidates Forum" to be held in the Community Center on the Pine Creek Reservation and such other locations as the Election Board may designate. The Election Board shall announce the date and location of any "Meet the Candidates Forum" by the deadline for candidates to declare their candidacy. All certified candidates shall appear at that forum and be given an equal amount of time to make statements and to answer questions from the NHBP membership.
C. 
The Election Board may hold the "Meet the Candidates Forum" in the NHBP Community Center, if held after regular business hours and with the approval of the Election Board and Chief Executive Officer. Campaign materials may be posted and may be available for NHBP members to pick up in the room during the candidate forum, provided that all such materials are removed within one hour after the conclusion of the forum.
D. 
Candidates may distribute campaign materials to a mailing list of all eligible voters by submitting their materials to the Election Board for mailing no later than fourteen (14) business days prior to an election. Candidates are required to pay all costs associated with the mailing of campaign materials, including the costs of copies, envelopes, labels, and postage. The NHBP Enrollment Office shall supply address labels with the current mailing address of all eligible voting NHBP members to the Election Board when requested to do so by the Election Board. This subsection does not prohibit candidates from mailing campaign materials to NHBP members on their own.
E. 
All other forms of campaigning shall be the sole responsibility of the candidates. No form of campaigning is prohibited unless specifically prohibited by this code or NHBP law.
F. 
Candidates, supporters of candidates, and other persons acting on a candidate's behalf should conduct their activities in a positive manner and in accordance with the Seven Grandfather Teachings of Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth.
G. 
No person shall make a defamatory statement about another person in connection with a campaign for election.
H. 
All campaign materials must conspicuously include the name of the candidate or other person(s) or entities who sponsored, paid for, or is otherwise responsible for the materials, as part of the following endorsement:
"[Name] endorses this message."
I. 
No campaigning of any kind may be conducted in, nor may campaign materials be posted in, any NHBP government building, enterprise building, or in the parking lots (including on parked vehicles), or in other common areas (including entrances, sidewalks, and yards) of such buildings.
J. 
No campaigning may take place within 100 feet of any NHBP building serving as polling places on election day.
K. 
NHBP members and candidates may engage in campaign activities, which are not otherwise prohibited by these regulations, on property owned by the NHBP, if the campaign activities occur within:
(1) 
Residential units or residential lots leased or assigned to NHBP members, such as apartment units (including common areas);
(2) 
On lots leased or assigned to NHBP members under a NHBP-administered rental or homeownership program; and
(3) 
On church property, provided that the church grants permission to allow campaign activities.
L. 
Candidates who are NHBP employees may not engage in any campaign activities during their assigned working hours. Candidates who are NHBP employees may, however, campaign while on vacation or personal time. Scheduled breaks, including lunch breaks, are considered working hours for purposes of this restriction.
M. 
Candidates, NHBP employees, and all other persons are prohibited from using any NHBP government or enterprise property, including phones, facsimile machines, the NHBP website, NHBP government e-mail, and office supplies for campaign activities. Except as otherwise provided in this section, no campaign-related material will be accepted for publication in the NHBP Newsletter.
N. 
NHBP employees and elected representatives are prohibited from using their official positions or access to obtain mailing addresses and e-mail addresses of NHBP members for the purpose of distributing campaign materials. No candidate or candidate supporter may knowingly distribute campaign materials in physical or electronic form to addresses that have been obtained in violation of this subsection.
O. 
Tribal Council members are prohibited from campaigning for or against any candidate or ballot initiative while engaging in official NHBP business, while appearing in an official capacity, or in the NHBP Newsletter or other mailing subsidized by NHBP funds. This subsection is not intended to prevent a Tribal Council member from campaigning on the Tribal Council member's personal time and using the Tribal Council member's personal funds.
P. 
Candidates or other persons with questions about campaigning may seek a determination from the Election Board regarding the permissibility of such activities by submitting a written request to the Election Board. The Election Board or its designee shall respond to such requests within fourteen (14) days of the request.
A. 
In keeping with the Seven Grandfather Teachings, MnoBmadzewen and the notion that the Anishinaabe people should live a balanced life within the community, the Election Board has determined that certain restrictions on campaign donations and contributors are necessary in order to protect and maintain the integrity of the election process and prevent undue outside influence from nonmembers.
B. 
Candidates may solicit and accept campaign contributions from members, provided they are fully and timely disclosed on an appropriate disclosure statement.
C. 
Candidates may not solicit or accept contributions from nonmembers, unless those individuals are related by blood or marriage to the candidate, provided they are fully and timely disclosed on an appropriate disclosure statement.
D. 
No person who is not a member of the NHBP, or related by blood or marriage to the candidate, may make a contribution or donation of money, in-kind services, or other thing of value to a candidate, or make an express or implied promise to make such a contribution or donation, in connection with an election.
E. 
Candidates shall file both a preliminary and a final disclosure statement. Both forms will be provided by the Election Board.
(1) 
For any monetary contribution from a member, the disclosure statement shall state the contribution amount and the name of the donor.
(2) 
For any monetary contribution from a nonmember, the disclosure statement shall state the contribution amount, the name of the donor, and the donor's relationship to the candidate.
(3) 
For any in-kind donation from a member, the disclosure statement shall state the estimated value of the in-kind donation, the name of the donor, and a description of the service.
(4) 
For any in-kind donation from a nonmember, the disclosure statement shall state the estimated value of the in-kind donation, the name of the donor, the donor's relationship to the candidate, and a description of the service.
F. 
A candidate's preliminary disclosure statement, disclosing all contributions received up until twenty-one (21) business days before the election, shall be filed with the Election Board no later than fourteen (14) business days before the general election.
G. 
A candidate's final disclosure statement, disclosing all contributions received in connection with the campaign, shall be filed with the Election Board within five (5) business days after the date of the general election.
H. 
If a candidate did not receive any contributions, his or her disclosure statement may state, "No campaign contributions received."
I. 
Any candidate who fails to file the preliminary or final disclosure statement within the time period set forth in this section will be assessed a fine of $25 per day for each day the statement is late. In addition:
(1) 
Any candidate who fails to file a timely preliminary disclosure statement within five (5) business days of the general election may be subject to further penalty to be determined by the Election Board, up to and including removal from the ballot.
(2) 
Any prevailing candidate who fails to file a timely final disclosure statement shall be prohibited from taking the oath of office until the required report is filed with the Election Board.
J. 
Any alleged violations of campaign requirements shall be resolved by the Election Board in accordance with the procedure established by this code to resolve election disputes.