2 0 1 6 This guide has been created with the hope of politically engaging and informing the Snoqualmie Tribal Community by introducing the ways in which some of the candidates running for office this year may affect the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, its people, programs, and enterprises. Presidential Race | Page 6 The Native American vote is important in every election. Together, the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe and other tribes U.S. Senate Race | Page 7 across the country engage government leaders on local, state, and federal levels to pass legislation that supports tribal U.S. House Races | Page 8 communities. Through legislation, elected officials have an immense impact on many issues affecting tribal communities State Executive Races | Page 14 including natural resources, lands, program resources, sovereignty, and tribal law. For this reason, it is important that Washington State Ballot Initiatives Page 18 tribal members consider candidates for office who uphold Tribal sovereignty, and values. Legislative District 5 Races | Page 21 For many tribal people, the act of casting a vote can be challenging due to barriers such as required time, money, and other resources. While not all Snoqualmie Tribal Members live in Washington State, for those who do, ensuring that your vote is counted is much easier, as all ballots are submitted via mail. By being educated and exercising your right to vote, Snoqualmie Tribal Members can help strengthen Tribal sovereignty and Indian Country as a whole. If you have any questions about this guide, please contact Jaime Martin at [email protected] or 425.888.6551 ext. 1103. Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to endorse any political candidate, party, initiative, or referendum. The Tribe recognizes that each individual has a protected right to political speech and this guide is not intended to influence, encourage, or discourage any form of political speech. Rather, this guide is intended to provide members of the tribal community with information related to how to participate in the political process. Visit www.sos.wa.gov and click on "Register to Vote" Registration Requirements for Washington State: Friday, October 21st Be a U.S. citizen General Election ballots are mailed to Be 18 years old by Election Day - Nov. 8th 2016 registered voters in Washington State Live at a Washington address by Oct. 9th 2016 If convicted of a felony, not be in jail or Monday, October 31st community custody. Last day for in-person registration in order to Not claim the right to vote in another state vote in the General Election Not currently judged incompetent by a court Tuesday, November 8th ELECTION DAY Snoqualmie Tribe Visit https://weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/MyVote/#/login Type in your legal name and birthday and have access to the following information: Tuesday, November 8th Voter Registration Details Voting History Join us on the night of the General Election at Candidates and Ballot Measures in your District the Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom, where there Drop Box & Voting Center Locations will be live election coverage, and election- Ballot Status themed treats, games, and more. All ages welcome! 6pm | Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom DON'T FORGET! Receive Your Ballot in the Mail ELECTION DAY Ballots will be mailed out to registered voters on October 21st Tues. Nov. 8th 2016 Vote! Follow the instructions that accompany your ballot Return your Ballot Your ballot must be: Postmarked no later than Election Day (Tuesday, November 8th); or Returned to a designated ballot drop box by 8pm on Election Day; or Returned in person to your county election department by 8pm on Election Day A congressional district is a geographical area which elects its single congressional member to the U.S. House of Representatives. A congressional district is based on population. In the United States, redistricting occurs every ten years in conjunction with the United States Census. There are 435 congressional districts in the United States, with each one representing approximately 700,000 people. There are currently 10 congressional districts in Washington State. We recognize that the majority of Snoqualmie Tribal Members are spread throughout Washington State, which is why we expanded this year's Voters Guide to include the candidates from all of Washington's 10 congressional districts. For those Tribal Members who live out of state, we hope that the information included in this guide on topics such as the Presidential Race, the roles and responsibilities of various positions, and other information will be of interest and use to you. A series of questions were posed to each candidate by the Tribe's Governmental Affairs & Special Projects staff regarding Tribal issues including sovereignty, the protection of sacred places, and support for Tribal programs. This guide presents their answers for evaluation by the Tribal community. The questions asked are indicated below. Some additional topic-specific questions were posed to candidates running for certain offices such as the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 1) Do you have experience working with tribes? 2) Would you support the Tribe in its duty to protect sacred Snoqualmie Falls? If so, how? 3) If you were elected, how would you and your staff interact with tribes? 4) What is your position on tribal sovereignty? 5) Do you support increasing funding to tribes for treaty-guaranteed services such as health care and education? 6) Would you support Tribal representation on boards, commissions, and committees? Many experts say the native vote has been the deciding factor in Many answers provided by the elections across the country, candidates were too long to print in including Senate races in full in this guide. To read the Montana, Alaska, and responses in full, visit the Tribal North Dakota. Website at www.snoqualmietribe.us and click on "2016 Voters Guide The importance of the Native American vote has been Candidate Full Responses." shown before. In 2000, when Maria Cantwell of Washington defeated incumbent Republican Slade Over the months leading up to the Gorton by 2,229 votes out of 2.5 million, she had strong publication of this Guide, there were support from Native Americans because of Gorton's multiple attempts made to reach efforts against tribal fishing rights. In 2002 Janet each candidate to request their Napolitano was losing the election for Arizona governor responses to the questions posed to "until the Navajo vote came in." In Montana in 2006, "the them. Those who chose not Native vote was the swing vote that put [Senator] Jon to submit their Tester in his seat,” says state senator Sharon Stewart- responses are Did Not Respond Peregoy, a Crow. In 2010 in Alaska, where Native noted in their to Tribe's Request Americans are 14.9 percent of the population, their votes section. helped win GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski’s re-election. The President of the United States is elected every four years. In order to run a candidate must be at least 35 years old, be a natural born citizen, and have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. The Constitution assigns the President two roles: chief executive of the federal government, and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. As Commander in Chief, the President has the authority to send troops into combat, and is the only person who can decide whether to use nuclear weapons. As chief executive, the President enforces laws, treaties and court rulings; develops federal policies; prepares the national budget; and appoints federal officials. They may approve or veto acts of Congress, and grant pardons. Clinton was Secretary of State from 2009-2013, and U.S. Senator for the State of New York from 2001-2009. Born in Illinois, Clinton earned a BA at Wellesley College, and a law degree at Yale. Kaine was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. He was born in Minnesota and earned a law degree at Harvard Law School. He was the Governor of Virginia from 2006-2010. "Clinton is committed to strengthening and building on the government to government relationship between the United States and Indian tribes, and believes the U.S. should fulfill its treaty obligations and trust responsibilities to Tribal Nations... Hillary will build on President Obama's effort to engage in productive dialogue with Tribal officials by continuing the White House Tribal Nations Conference annually and commit to regular and meaningful consultation with Tribal officials in the development of federal policies that impact tribes... She will ensure that the Department of the Interior and EPA work collaboratively with tribes... to sustainably and cooperatively manage fish and wildlife and protect the air, water, and other natural resources in Indian Country. And Hillary will continue to stand for Tribal sovereignty and in support of Tribal resources and sacred sites... She will invest $20 billion to support new youth jobs and provide pathways of opportunity for young Americans, including Native youth... Hillary knows that investing in Native American youth is a critical step towards building strong communities and spurring economic revitalization... As Secretary of State, Hillary supported the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which continues to make critical contributions to our Native American policies... As Senator from New York, Clinton sponsored and fought for legislation to give tribes greater representation in advisory groups and direct access to federal grants in a variety of ways... As First Lady, she worked to pass universal health care reform and sought to strengthen the health care delivery system for Native Americans." To read the Clinton campaign's full position paper on Native American Tribes, visit: goo.gl/8iMKrL Trump was born in New York, and earned a BA in economics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.