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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The Gwich'in Tribal Council's efforts to improve voter turnout for its elections have paid off with record numbers and ideas are being considered to further improve voter engagement in four-year's time.

Thanks to additional polling stations - in Whitehorse, Edmonton and Yellowknife - and aggressive advertising, 50 per cent of the 2,522 eligible voters cast a ballot this year, representing approximately 200 more votes than in 2008.

Barb Crawford, chief returning officer for the Gwich'in Tribal Council, said she was shocked by the results.

"I think it's great, I was very pleased," said Crawford.

This year, a recommendation from the 2008 election for additional polling stations was adopted to help reduce the number of mail-in ballots being received after the election deadline.

Of the 523 eligible voters in Yellowknife, Edmonton and Whitehorse, 205 - 39 per cent - attended the polls.

Mail-in ballots were still necessary in smaller communities without polling station but Crawford said response from those voters was also very good as her office received 249 accepted ballots by mail, some sent in via express post. However, another 491 ballots cast for president were not accepted because they were received after the deadline.

"I think people went out of their way to make sure their vote was counted," said Crawford.

Aside from the improved voting methods, Crawford said the fact that both the president and vice-president positions were up for election and the number of candidates - three for president and six for vice-president - were also factors.

For the 2016 election, Crawford said an additional polling station might be set up in Edmonton - one on each side of the city - to make voting easier.

Patrick Tomlinson, director of intergovernmental relations with the Gwich'in Tribal Council, said the level of interest from Gwich'in voters was a "success as an exercise of democracy" and also indicative of the stage in history of Gwich'in politics.

"The tribal council and the Gwich'in are in a crucial stage when it comes to self-government and the implementation of the land claim," he said.

In terms of self-government, he said negotiations are moving at a strong pace and the GTC's new 10-year plan, which outlines funding levels and work priorities, will be in place next March when the existing plan expires.

"Political leadership has a crucial role to play in those negotiations," said Tomlinson, who added that because "decisions being made today are going to affect them for years to come," Gwich'in voters might have felt more compelled to vote.

Norman Snowshoe was elected vice-president of the tribal council.

Final vote counts of the vice-president ballots were not provided before press time.

Fact file

Gwich'in Tribal Council election results

President:

Candidates: Votes Received

Alexie, Robert Jr. 697

Nerysoo, Richard 359

McDonald, Brenda 163

Rejected 38

Total voter turnout: 50%

Inuvik: 52% Edmonton: 17%

Tsiigehtchic: 67% Yellowknife: 54%

Fort McPherson: 77% Whitehorse 52%

Aklavik: 60% Mail-in ballots: 33%

Source: Gwich'in Tribal Council

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