By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C – On the afternoon of Wednesday, Aug. 7, Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) held a work session for Election Ord. No. 52, which was tabled. In the work session, the Election Board proposed several changes to the code, including shortening the overall election cycle.
Cynthia Chandler, Election Board member, presented the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) 2025 Elections Calendar. The first change to the calendar moves candidate filing dates from the first week of March to the first week of May. Chandler sighted a down period between the months of March and April as reasoning for the change.
“We still have adequate time to do everything we need to do,” Chandler said.
The Board also proposed that voting registration will not close in this election cycle. If voters attend the polls and are not yet registered, they can register at the polls. Chandler said this will prevent poll sites from turning away voters who have not registered.
The proposed changes will also shorten early voting from 17 days including one Saturday, to 12 days including two Saturdays. Chandler noted voting data showing Thursdays and Saturdays as the biggest days for early voting.
The primary will also move from the first Thursday of June to July 17, 2025, reducing the primary election cycle by nearly six weeks.
Chandler said the only “written in stone” dates are the election, which will continue to be the first Thursday of September, and the swearing in on the first Monday of October. “Everything else is pretty flexible,” she said.
The One Feather reached out for comment from Chandler but did not receive a response by press time.
