Chukchansi tribe holds election

The embattled Chukchansi tribe held an election Saturday for a new tribal council, but some families said they were excluded from voting.

Kelly Graef said that she, her son and her daughter were turned away – ballots in hand – when they attempted to vote at polls, which were set up at the Chukchansi Inc. offices at 8080 N. Palm Ave. in northwest Fresno. Her uncle and his two children shared the same fate earlier that morning.

Graef said that Mark Thompson, the election administrator, informed them they had been removed from the latest tribal roster.

Thompson allegedly told her that he had been given a new roster by the tribal administrator for the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, and the Graefs were not on it.

“As far as I know, we were on the roster as recently as early last week,” Graef said.

Thompson could not be reached for comment. Officials at the polling place refused to answer questions.

A Chukchansi official said Sunday that Graef was denied by officials overseeing the election because she was disenrolled in 2006 in a situation that did not relate to current issues. A tribal official said Graef was told earlier in the week she could not vote and that the voting papers sent to her were an oversight by the company running the election.

The election had some setbacks. One-fourth of the candidates withdrew their names from the ballot, while other tribal members say they won’t recognize the election, have established their own councils and, in the case of one faction, plan to hold their own election in December.

Many hoped the election of a new council would satisfy the National Indian Gaming Commission, which closed Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold after a violent altercation between tribal factions forced the evacuation of employees and guests a year ago. The casino and hotel have remained closed since then.

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Chukchansi tribe holds election."