Lawsuit claims officials trying to fix Kiowa election

CARNEGIE, Okla. (AP) -- Three candidates for the Kiowa Tribe's business committee claim in a lawsuit that the tribe's election board is trying to fix an upcoming election.<br/><br/>Attorney Richard

Monday, May 30th 2005, 6:05 pm

By: News On 6

CARNEGIE, Okla. (AP) -- Three candidates for the Kiowa Tribe's business committee claim in a lawsuit that the tribe's election board is trying to fix an upcoming election.

Attorney Richard Velie's lawsuit claims the tribe's election board wrongfully dismissed Bobby Thompson, Thurman Kaulaity and Earl Yeahquo as candidates for the June 18th election.

The lawsuit also alleges the tribe had no grounds when it made 152 newly-registered voters ineligible for the election.

Tribe spokeswoman Martha Koomsa Perez claims the election board properly dismissed the candidates because each owed the tribe money. The tribe's constitution prohibits those with debts more than two years old from seeking office.

Perez says the board was also correct to disqualify the registered voters because they did not fill out registration forms at the board's office as required.