At a Special Senate meeting that was held on Tuesday, December 14,1999, the Swinomish Indian Senate passed new voting procedures for the elections to be held on February 12, 2000, as follows:

1. No absentee voting is allowed except for the following reason:

You are physically incapacitated (bedridden or in the hospital) so as to be unable to vote in person on election day and live within the boundaries of the Swinomish Indian Reservation.

2. Each candidate who is running for a Senate seat is allowed one person to act as a poll watcher when the Election Board is counting the ballots.

3. Any person committing acts of forgery, extortion bribery false reports, obstruction of public officials including enforcement officers and/or perjury will be prosecuted to their fullest extent pursuant to Swinomish Criminal Code sections 5-3.030, 5-3.040, 5-8.020, 5-8.050, 5-8.060, 5-8.070 and/or 5-8.080, and fines will be imposed upon any person committing such crime in accordance with the Swinomish Criminal Code.

4. Upon submitting a Petition for Nomination, each candidate will be running for one Senate seat position. There will be two (2) Senate seat positions available. Every five (5) years, there will be three (3) Senate seat positions available for candidacy. Upon receiving a Petition for Nomination, the candidate will inform the Election Officer which Senate seat position the candidate is running for.

5. There will be qualifications that a candidate must have in order to run for a seat on the Swinomish Indian Senate. Every candidate must:

a. Possess a high school diploma or GED;

b. Not have been found guilty of a felony, or misdemeanor involving dishonesty in any Indian, State or Federal court;

c. Submit a $200 candidate fee (non-refundable);

d. Be eligible to vote;

e. Be a tribal member in good standing with the community;

f. Submit a resume with their Petition which includes their education, work experience and brief paragraph about why they are seeking a seat on the Swinomish Indian Senate;

g. Submit a letter with their Petition stating their goals and objectives if they should be elected to the Swinomish Indian Senate; and

h. Must submit to and pass a drug test.

Petitions for Nomination will be due to the Tribal Election Officer no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 13, 2000.

If any candidates are found not to be eligible to run for the Senate, appeals of the denial of certifications must be filed with the Election Board no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 18, 2000.

January 30, 2000, will be the last day to post the list of qualified candidates and the positions they are running for. This list could be posted as early as January 18, 2000.

Official ballots will be prepared and ready for approval by the Election Board no later than January 18, 2000.

Election day will be held on Saturday, February 12, 2000, from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., followed by the General Council meeting.

The Election Board may request pictures of each candidate for the Official Ballot.