MASHPEE A tribal court judge ruled Thursday that mail-in voting is against the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe s constitution and ordered that the upcoming general election be rescheduled so it can be held in person.
Amanda L. WhiteEagle, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Alternate District Court Judge, wrote in her order granting the plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction that the planned March 26 election using mail-in voting and/or voting by ballot drop box because of the pandemic would violate the tribe’s constitution.
“The Constitution is the supreme law, and ordinances are to be consistent with the constitutional letter and spirit,” WhiteEagle said in the order.
MASHPEE With the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s general election only a few weeks away, a few members have raised concerns about the decision to hold the election exclusively through mail-in voting.
Tribal members Aaron Tobey Jr., Crystal Asiwe and Steve Helme are suing members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Election Committee at the tribal court, arguing that holding the March 26 election through mail-in voting is against the tribe’s constitution.
“What my client is arguing, is that the constitution really prescribes the election process for the tribe,” attorney Jonathan Polloni, representing the plaintiffs, said in a phone interview, “and what’s happened is that the tribal council has really buried that process. That is significant and deserves a lot of caution.”
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SPECIAL HOUSE ELECTION TODAY Voters will head to the polls in Winthrop and Revere today, where a primary race to replace former House Speaker Robert DeLeo is on the ballot.