In accordance with the Constitution, the powers of the government are divided into three (3) distinct departments: executive, legislative and judicial.
- An executive department, consisting of the Governor and Lt. Governor.
- A legislative department, consisting of the tribal legislature.
- A judicial department, consisting of a three (3) member Supreme Court of tribal justices and such inferior courts as the legislature shall ordain and establish in the development, maintenance and administration of a tribal justice system.
A candidate for tribal office shall meet the requirements set forth in the Constitution. Such requirements relate to citizenship, residency for prescribed periods of time, voter registration, criminal histories, age, and for certain offices, a blood quantum requirement. The election commission may require proof that candidates meet all such requirements. The commission shall determine if each candidate is qualified to run for office.
Governor/Lt. Governor
- Governor/Lt. Governor shall run as a team.
- Four-year term of office.
- Must be citizens/registered voters of the Chickasaw Nation.
- Must be residents of the Chickasaw Nation for at least one (1) year immediately preceding any election for which they are candidates and must remain residents of the Chickasaw Nation during the tenure of their office.
- Must remain citizens of the Chickasaw Nation during the tenure of their office.
- Must be at least thirty (30) years of age.
- Must possess no less than one quarter (1/4) of Chickasaw Indian blood.
- Must not have been convicted of a felony.
- Four-year term of office.
Filing Fee: $2,500 per gubernatorial team
Legislator
- Must be citizens/registered voters of the Chickasaw Nation.
- Must be residents of the Chickasaw Nation for at least one (1) year and of their respective district for at least six (6) months immediately preceding the election.
- Must remain citizens of their elected district during the tenure of their office.
- Must be at least twenty-five (25) years of age.
- Must not have been convicted of a felony.
- Three-year term of office.
Filing Fee: $500 per candidate
Supreme Court Justice
- Must be citizens/registered voters of the Chickasaw Nation.
- Must have been residents of the Chickasaw Nation for at least one (1) year immediately preceding any election for which they are candidates and must remain residents of the Chickasaw Nation during the tenure of their office.
- Must be at least thirty (30) years of age.
- Must not have been convicted of a felony.
- Three-year term of office.
Filing Fee: $500 per candidate
Guidelines For All Candidates
- An employee of the Chickasaw Nation must resign on the day he/she files for office and must submit documentation of resignation.
- No filing by proxy is allowed.
- Voter list may not be used for commercial purposes.
- Candidates or potential candidates for elective or persons acting on behalf of such a candidate are strictly prohibited from the use of any tribal assets of any kind for campaign purposes. A candidate found to be using tribal assets of any kind for campaign purposes shall be disqualified.
- All candidates must file a campaign contribution disclosure upon filing and at the end of every month until the primary and run-off (if applicable) election for said candidate is completed. Any candidate who fails to file reports within five (5) days after the end of the month or willfully files inaccurate reports - the election secretary/tribal registrar shall file a complaint with the ethics commission.
- Candidates are subject to criminal background checks.
Filing fees are accepted in the form of money order or cashier's check and are made payable to:
Chickasaw Nation Election Commission
P.O. Box 695
Ada, OK 74821-0695
For more information, call the election office toll-free at (888) 661-0137.