ICAS Schedules Annual Membership Meeting, Council Seats Up For Election
The Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope posted a notice on October 30 announcing its Annual Membership Meeting on November 8 at the Inupiat Heritage Center, with registration at 12:00 PM and the meeting beginning at 1:00 PM. Members across villages will vote for candidates for Barrow Seat 1, Barrow Seat 2, Point Lay Seat 5, and Kaktovik Seat 10, a process that shapes local leadership and priorities for the coming year.
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The Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, or ICAS, formalized plans for its Annual Membership Meeting on October 30 with a notice outlining the date, time, and voting procedures for members. The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 8 at the Inupiat Heritage Center, with registration set for 12:00 PM and the meeting to begin at 1:00 PM. Meeting locations will be available in every village to facilitate local participation.
At stake are four council seats. Members will elect representatives for Barrow Seat 1, Barrow Seat 2, Point Lay Seat 5, and Kaktovik Seat 10. Those council positions will help determine ICAS priorities including program oversight, allocation of tribal resources, and relationships with local and regional partners. The outcome will directly affect constituents in Barrow, Point Lay, Kaktovik, and other communities served by ICAS programs.
The notice states that members must register in person at their chosen meeting site in order to vote, though absentee ballots are available for those who cannot attend in person. ICAS provided contact information, including a Tribal Operations phone number and email address, for eligibility questions and other inquiries related to the election and meeting logistics. The official posting date for the notice was October 6, and it was last modified on October 30.
Prospective candidates were given a tight calendar for expressing interest. Letters of interest were due by October 31 at 5:00 PM to ICAS Tribal Operations. The close deadline narrows the candidate filing window and underscores the importance of timely communication from the organization to members considering run ning for council seats.
Making meeting locations available in every village and offering absentee ballots are measures that can increase access for voters across the North Slope. For remote and elder members, those options can be critical to ensuring representative participation. The requirement to register in person at a selected site, however, creates a logistical step that voters must account for even when absentee ballots are sought.
The election will determine who holds key council roles as ICAS navigates service delivery, cultural programming, and collaboration with the North Slope Borough and other entities. Voter turnout and candidate participation will shape the council s mandate for the coming year. Members who have questions about eligibility or the voting process are directed to use the Tribal Operations contact information provided in the notice.
The Annual Membership Meeting and the resulting council elections represent a routine but consequential moment in local governance. The decisions made by members on November 8 will influence policy priorities and leadership at a time when community engagement and transparent procedures remain central to ICAS operations.
