Postponement of Election
As a Council, we chose to postpone the election.
In reading the Yunesit’in Custom Election Code, it grants the Council the ability to extend the deadline up to 60 days. In following our Code, we chose to postpone the election from July 15 to September 9.
The main reasons for postponing the election is to allow our Council to continue addressing the emergency response due to the covid-19 pandemic and to proceed with the election when it is possible to assemble in gatherings.
We felt that we have a good team to address covid-19, which has experience with the 2017 wildfires and the inter-governmental relationships to gather resources and get things done efficiently. The Council did not think it would be wise to hold an election and risk a new Council attempting to learn and govern through a crisis.
Our Council also felt that it would only be fair to have an election when the restrictions are lifted, whereby we can visit and meet in gatherings as a community. An election in Yunesit’in requires polling stations and it would require undue energy to logistically set up a safe environment for the community. It would be risky for Elders and the participation turnout may be low, so we thought best to resume when covid-19 is no longer a threat.
We do not expect everyone to respect our decision, but our emphasis is on safety and fairness, and we believe this is the most thoughtful decision to make during this uncertain time.
– Yunesit’in Council (April 24, 2020)
Refer to the Yunesit’in Custom Election Code as a Governing Community Document
CUSTOM ELECTION CODE -Final October 2007