Section 3. Election for Tribal Council. Council Representatives shall be elected to their respective offices by the registered citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who have attained the age of eighteen (18) years and are constituent citizens of the respective Townships.
Clause 1. Time of Election. The general election for Tribal Council Representatives shall be held on the first Thursday in September of 2023, following the adoption of this Constitution and every two years thereafter under such rules and regulations as may be adopted by the Board of Elections, consistent with this Constitution.
Clause 2. Selection. The successful candidate elected as a Tribal Council Representative shall be the candidate who receives a simple majority of votes cast by registered voters of each respective Township.
First Election after Adoption. In the first election after this Constitution is adopted, the two Council Representatives from each Township shall be selected as follows. The candidate that receives the most votes shall serve the full four (4) year term while the candidate that receives the next highest number of votes shall only serve a one-half term of two (2) years for the purpose of staggering terms of Representatives in each Township.
(January 2022 draft + commentary to view the corresponding explanation.)