Brokenhead Ojibway Nation to hold band election this week with COVID-19 precautions – CBC

Voters will be given face masks and their own pens, and vote one at a time

Apr 16, 2020

A First Nation in Manitoba is taking as many precautions as they can think of to move ahead with their band’s election this Saturday.

“It’s a very difficult decision,” said Deborah Smith, chief of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, about 65 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Smith is finishing her first two-year term as the chief of her community and is running for re-election on April 18.

Mail-in ballots were sent out over a month ago to Brokenhead’s 700 on-reserve and 1,200 off-reserve members. On Tuesday, the chief and council voted in favour of proceeding with the in-person vote on Saturday.

“There’s of course a lot of factors that come into play, undeniably the health concerns that COVID-19 poses, but also the fear of people being exposed to infection,” said Smith.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/brokenhead-band-council-election-coronavirus-1.5533722