TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation’s election night gathering spot for the latest results is moving from the Election Commission office to the nearby Marshal Service for the June 3 General Election.
In past elections, the latest results were posted on the Election Commission windows as they became available, with tents and other amenities set up for spectators in the office parking lot off South Muskogee Avenue in Tahlequah. This time around, the same setup will be made available across the street at the Marshal Service on South Bald Hill Road.
“I appreciate the Marshal Service offering that,” Election Commission Chairman Rick Doherty said May 25. “They’ve always been helpful with security, and we couldn’t do the elections without them. This will give an area for those interested in returns to get them as quickly as possible. These will come out just as soon as the precincts come in, and a marshal can walk them over.”
The move will help minimize congestion at the EC office, especially with nearby intersection construction underway, according to commissioners.
“We think it will make it safer for everyone involved, the precinct workers bringing boxes back and all of that,” Doherty said, adding that spectators will “still be able to gather in groups or however they want to gather” at the Marshal Service.
“That’s a nice, generous act to offer us,” Election Commissioner Elizabeth Ballew said of the Marshal Service’s proposal.
Election results – first made available online in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic – will also be posted on the EC’s website, election.cherokee.org. Results will begin to appear on the website via a link in a yellow banner at the top of the page once precincts begin reporting after polls close at 7 p.m.
Online results will be uploaded as time allows throughout the evening, commissioners explained.
