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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - With today's byelection and a pending election for chief and three band councillors, concerns have been raised about the Salt River First Nation's mail-in voting procedures.

"I am just concerned about the confidentiality, when you mail in your envelope," said Cindy Sabourin, a Fort Providence resident and member of the Salt River First Nation.

She said when she sends the ballot away to the electoral officer, it is sealed in a brown envelope within a larger envelope, adorned with her return address.

Sabourin is concerned that when the ballot arrives in Fort Smith, someone could write down her name and who she voted for, or her ballot may not be counted.

"I feel it should be totally anonymous," she said.

Al Dumont, chief electoral officer of the byelection, said he was doing absolutely everything in his power to ensure the band's electoral regulations were being followed "to the letter."

"When these envelopes come back, it's no different from any other mail-in ballot," he said.

Each vote is sent to Dumont, who said the envelopes must have the voter's name and address on them as it's the "only way you can ensure they are an elector is by the name on the return address."

He said the ballot, however, is enclosed within a sealed envelope inside the original envelope.

"The whole thing is opened in front of the scrutineers and the electoral officer and poll clerk," he said.

"If anything is happening, the scrutineers will see it, because that is where it's happening."

Cindy's mother Noeline Villebrun, a member of the Salt River First Nation, said most of the membership lives outside Fort Smith and must mail in their ballots.

Dumont said he could not provide that number.

Dumont was not the electoral officer in charge of the August 2008 election.

Saundra Arberry, chief electoral officer with Elections NWT, said band elections do not fall within the jurisdiction of her organization.

With Elections NWT's mail-in process, a ballot is sent to a voter on the electors' list and it is filled out and sealed in a small, white envelope without any identifying features.

This envelope is then put inside a larger envelope, marked with the name and address of the voter and then placed inside yet another envelope - without a return address - that is sent to the returning officer.

When the envelope gets to the officer, the white envelope gets placed into a ballot box and is tallied on election night.

George Cleary, director of Indian and Inuit Services with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, said all First Nations in the Northwest Territories have their own custom elections.

"They develop their own codes," he said.

When contacted, Salt River First Nation officials did not comment on its election regulations.