The Cherokee Nation has prepared a voters' guide as part of its "Cherokee Vote Counts" initiative.

The tribe submitted questionnaires to candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and state Senate and state House seats in northeastern Oklahoma. Not everyone responded -- Rep. Dan Boren (D) is notably absent.

All of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House candidates who did respond said they opposed efforts to cut funds to the tribe over the citizenship of the Freedmen, who are the descendants of former slaves. None of the bills that targeted the tribe passed Congress this session.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R) answered all questions except one: "Do you support the right of tribes to decide their own citizenship?" He also said "No" to "Are you in support of Indian Nations having the same recognition as that of states regarding environmental issues?"

Inhofe inserted a rider into an appropriations bill that prevents Oklahoma tribes from receiving treatment as state status under the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act unless the state agrees.

The tribe is the largest in Oklahoma and the second-largest in the U.S.

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Cherokees promote voter awareness (The Muskogee Phoenix 10/8)