Understanding the 2026 SRPMIC Election

In this episode of Lena’s Lens, Lena Jackson-Eckert speaks with Election Board Coordinators Erica Harvier and Ardell Moore to help community members better understand the upcoming 2026 Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community elections. They break down who is up for re‑election, key nomination and voting dates, candidate requirements, and voting options available to community members both inside and outside SRPMIC. Listeners will also learn about mail‑in ballots, home voting for elders and disabled voters, and where to find official election information.


Questions? Comments? Please email [e-mail]

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SRPMIC Election Page

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Summer Speaker Series
Last Tuesday of every month (June-Sept)
Salt River Council Chambers 
Dinner: 5-6p
Presentation: 6-7p
45min presentation, 15 min Q&A

Open to the public

What is Lena's Lens?

Hosted by SRPMIC Assistant Community Manager, Lena Jackson-Eckert, this podcast takes a closer look at the programs, services, and people that help shape our Community. From everyday resources to unique stories and conversations, we’re here to share what matters. So let’s go ahead and zoom in.

Lena: 00:00

Hey, welcome to Lena's Lens. I'm Lena Jackson Eckert, one of the assistant community managers with the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. From helpful resources to unique conversations, we're on a journey to explore our community. So let's go ahead and zoom in. All right.

Lena: 00:23

Welcome to Lena's Lens. Whether you're a first time voter, a longtime participant in our community elections, or simply looking to stay informed, Today's episode is to help you better understand our upcoming election process, some important dates to be aware of, and the role each of us plays in shaping our future. Today we have Ms. Erica Harvier and Ardell Moore, who are our election board coordinators. Welcome, ladies.

Lena: 00:48

Thanks for joining us.

Erica: 00:49

Thanks for having us. Yes. Yes.

Lena: 00:51

Alright. Tell us a little bit about who

Erica: 00:54

is up for reelection and how many seats are up this year? Erica? So there are six seats up this year. The terms are expiring for president Martin Harvier, vice president Ricardo Leonard, three district one Salt River council members who are Jacob Butler, Micah Carlos, Cheryl Doka, and district two Lehigh council member Michael Dallas senior.

Lena: 01:22

Oh, that this is gonna be a big election. I think that's why we thought it would be it's important that we get this information out to the community. So what are some important dates that we need to be aware of?

Ardell: 01:35

The nomination meeting for president and vice president will be held jointly on Tuesday, July 28 at 6PM at the Salt River Community Building. The nomination meetings for council members will be held simultaneously on Thursday, July 30 at 6PM at both the Salt River Community Building and the Lehigh Community Building.

Lena: 01:55

Okay.

Ardell: 01:56

The primary election will be held on Tuesday, October 20. Polls open at 6AM and close at 6PM at the Salt River Community Building and the Lehigh Community Building, depending on your designated voting district. The general election will take place on Tuesday, November 17. Once again, polls are open from six a. To six pm

Ardell: 02:17

And again, you vote at your designated voting district.

Lena: 02:20

All right. And we know July is right around the corner, so that's fast approaching. Tell us a little bit about the purpose of the primary election. I know this is kind of new to our process, so maybe we can describe a little bit to the listeners what the purpose of this is.

Erica: 02:36

In the past, we've had a number of candidates running for elections. And so, basically, what a primary election does, it narrows down the field of candidates, and it determines which candidates will actually run-in the general election.

Lena: 02:51

So basically, the top vote getters will go on to the next phase or the general election?

Erica: 02:58

Yes. All right. Are there any special qualifications for community members to vote? The qualifications to vote are to be an enrolled Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian community member. You must be 18 years of age on the day of election or older.

Erica: 03:16

And

Erica: 03:17

bring your tribal ID with you to the polls in order to vote. That is required. Okay.

Lena: 03:22

And what if I know this question has come up before. What if the member lives in, you know, one of the other outside of Salt River.

Lena: 03:32

So maybe they live in California or even, you know, Mesa or Tempe. How do they know which district to vote in?

Erica: 03:39

A voter who lives outside of the community, the best thing to do is call the office of membership. There they can get assistance in declaring a home district to identify whether they're District 1 Salt River or District 2 Lehigh.

Lena: 03:54

And usually that is declared by where you family lives or is that is that accurate? Yes. Speaking of California members or those living outside of the state, will mail in ballots be available for them?

Ardell: 04:11

Yes. A Salt River voter who is unable to vote at the polls on election day can request a ballot to be mailed to them if requested by the set deadlines of for the primary election, 10/01/2026, and for the general election, 10/29/2026. There is a deadline to have their ballot mailed back to us by no later than the day of election.

Lena: 04:36

Okay. And we know we mentioned just California, but if somebody lives in Mesa or Tempe, and they want a mail in ballot, is that available to them as well? Yes. Okay.

Erica: 04:48

And are any special accommodations made for our disabled or maybe bedridden seniors? Yes. Any voter who is disabled or bedridden can request home voting. What that means is election board members will arrive at their home to do voting at home. But in order to do this, the voter needs to make that request for the primary election by 10/15/2026.

Erica: 05:15

And for the general, that would be 11/12/2026.

Lena: 05:19

And is there a certain radius that they have to live?

Erica: 05:23

Yes. Only those that live within a 25 mile radius are eligible for this service.

Lena: 05:29

Okay. So they're not Election Board isn't going to California to No. Collect a

Ardell: 05:33

And also, if that person is in a care facility, they will also go within that twenty five mile radius to help them.

Lena: 05:40

That's good information. And will there be any forums for the candidates prior to the election?

Ardell: 05:47

Yes. However, the election board does not handle the forums. The Office of Community Relations does oversee the meetings, the scheduling, and anything and everything that goes with the forums. Those dates will be out in the election information guide, which should be coming to voters in early July.

Lena: 06:06

All right. So be on the lookout for those dates. So if somebody wants to run for president or vice president, what are their requirements, Ardell?

Ardell: 06:15

They must be an enrolled member of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, must physically reside in the Salt River Community for at least one year, be at least 25 years of age, and have no felony conviction during the last ten years.

Erica: 06:29

Erica, what about regular council members? The requirements for council members are basically the same. However, they must reside in the district they're running for at least six months prior.

Lena: 06:40

Okay. Are there any requirements to nominate a person for president, vice president, or and or council members? Yes.

Erica: 06:50

A person nominating a council member, president, or vice president, they too must be an enrolled member. They must be present at the meeting. Okay. And if nominating a council member, the person nominating must be a resident of that district they are nominating that council member for.

Lena: 07:08

Alright. That's good to know. Once nominated, how long does the candidate have to accept or decline the nomination?

Erica: 07:15

They have two business days after the nomination meeting to accept or decline. They can also accept the nomination at the nomination meeting as well.

Lena: 07:24

Oh, okay. So they can do it immediately if they choose to? Yes. And then I know that we didn't talk about this, but

Erica: 07:30

I know that there's a process to certify those who have accepted their nomination. When does that occur? So the election board will have a certification meeting on August 4 to certify the nominees for president and vice president. On Thursday, August 6 will be the certification meeting for council member nominees. This means the election board will check that the nominees meet the qualifications as required by the constitution.

Lena: 08:00

Okay. So somebody technically could change their mind up until that point if they wanted to? They can withdraw. They can withdraw. What if the candidate is an employee of the community or one of its enterprises?

Lena: 08:14

Do they have any special requirements? Ardell?

Ardell: 08:17

Yes. All certified candidates, except for those who are the sitting president, vice President, and Council members, are required to take at least a two week leave of absence from their employment with the community government or enterprises. And that must be two weeks prior to the election day.

Lena: 08:34

Okay. Is there anything else important for voters or those thinking about running for office that you think they should know?

Erica: 08:42

It's important for candidates to know that once the election board certifies them as a nominee on the ballot or candidate on the ballot, they must go through a background check. And this process is done by the human resources department. This is immediately following certification. Okay.

Erica: 09:01

Also, to get information out about themselves as a candidate, they can contact the community relations department to maybe place their bios and photographs

Lena: 09:12

Okay.

Erica: 09:13

In the newspaper. And a final thing for me is to inform voters that they should again receive full election information by early July. Okay.

Lena: 09:24

So those are some really important things coming up and important information to have. I also understand that there's an email address that individuals can utilize if they have any questions or concerns or even to wanna request a mail in ballot. Can we maybe give that to the listeners so that they are aware?

Erica: 09:44

There's a couple options a voter can can contact me for if they have questions or Ardell is to either call [phone] or email [e-mail] And there's also a public website, which is on the community's webpage. Click on the Elections tab.

Lena: 10:12

And all this information will be included on that website. Also, in the upcoming election, I guess, handbook that's coming out, this information and more will be included in there. So be on the lookout. As the lady stated, you should be receiving that early July. Thank you, ladies, for taking the time and being here today and giving us some really important information and dates to look out for.

Lena: 10:38

I appreciate each of you. And thank you

Lena: 10:41

to our listeners for listening. We hope today's episode helped answer your questions and provided useful election information. Be sure to stay informed, know your voting options, and make a plan to vote. Until next time, take care and stay engaged in the future of our community. Thank you for listening.