The Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council is the governing body of Six Nations of the Grand River established under the Indian Act in 1924. The Elected Council consists of one Grand Chief and nine Councillors elected to four year terms, with the current council elected in November 2019.
Over its history, elections for the Elected Council have had extremely low turnout-- for instance, the 2013 election had a turnout of 5.15%-- due in part to some Six Nations citizens believing the council to have usurped the power of the traditional government of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, organized today as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council.
Current Council
The current Elected Council was sworn in on November 12, 2019.
Grand Chief: Mark Hill
Councillors: Sherri Lyn Hill-Pierce, Melba I. Thomas, Audrey Powless-Bomberry, Michelle J. Bomberry, Hazel Johnson, Helen Miller, Nathan M. Wright, Kerry Bomberry, Gregory Frazer
Electoral Districts
Beginning with the 4th Elected Council in 1927, until the implementation of the 2019 election code, Six Nations was divided into six electoral districts, with two Councillors (including the Chief) elected per district.
List of Elected Councils
Band Councils elected under the Indian Act (1924-1995) The first election under Section 74 of the Indian Act within the Six Nations Band of Indians (as it was known at the time) was held on October 21, 1924, with the first meeting of the elected council taking place the following day at the Council House in Ohsweken. A pamphlet meant to provide information on the election announced that the reserve would "be divided into six Electoral Districts, numbered from one to six." These electoral districts remained in place until the 2019 election code reform. At the time of the first election, the Secretary of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council, Chief Dave Hill, Sr., reported that only 26 people voted in the election of this council, most or all of them voting twice.
The Elected Council was known simply as the "Six Nations council" until the official name of the reserve and its governing body was changed to "the Six Nations of the Grand River" under Bill Montour sometime between 1985 and 1991. Throughout the 20th century, the chief of the elected council was most commonly referred to as the "Chief Councillor", though this changed with the 49th Elected Council in 1994.
The term of each council was (more or less) one year until the 28th Elected Council in 1952, from which point the term was (more or less) two years.
Band Councils elected under the Six Nations Election Code, 1995 (1995 - 2019) In August 1995, the 49th Elected Council voted to change the Six Nations electoral system. Elections for Council would no longer be subject to the Indian Act, and would be governed by a custom electoral system. Despite lacking widespread support, the change to the electoral system was approved by the federal government two days before the advance poll for the upcoming election in October 1995. Changes from the Indian Act system implemented under the 1995 election code included: Extending the term of office to three years; Giving off-reserve band members the right to vote; Requiring the Chief to reside in the community; Deeming a chief or councillor, if removed from office, would be unable to be eligible to run for office for three years; Requiring prospective candidates submit to a police check, and barring any candidate with a criminal conviction in the U.S. or Canada in the 3 years prior to election day from running; Providing for an advance poll and an appeals process; Requiring candidates to provide a biographical description of themselves when nominated; Instituting an impeachment process by which a chief or councillor could be removed from office by those members that participated in their election; and Making the elections subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms These councils were sometimes referred to as "custom" councils.