In Wrangell, Alaska, the 1922 election became the setting for an important struggle over the voting rights of Alaska Native people. Two respected Tlingit community members, Tillie Paul Tamaree and Charlie Jones, challenged discriminatory restrictions that prevented Indigenous residents from participating equally in elections.

On November 7, 1922, Charlie Jones, also known as Chief Shakes VII, attempted to vote in Wrangell's general election. Election officials questioned his eligibility and initially refused to let him cast a ballot.

Jones sought assistance from Tillie Paul Tamaree, a Tlingit educator, interpreter, and community leader. Tamaree accompanied him back to the polling place, challenged the officials' decision, and insisted that Jones had the right to vote. After requiring him to take an oath, election officials allowed Jones to cast his ballot.

Rather than accepting the outcome, authorities pursued criminal charges. On March 23, 1923, a federal grand jury in Ketchikan indicted Jones for illegal voting and perjury. Tamaree was charged with inducing an Alaska Native person to vote unlawfully.

Tamaree's son, William Paul, one of Alaska's pioneering Native attorneys, represented Jones during the October 1923 trial. The defense challenged the discriminatory ideas used to question Jones's citizenship and legal eligibility.

On October 9, 1923, a jury found Charlie Jones not guilty. The court also dismissed the charges against Tillie Paul Tamaree. Their case became an important early victory for Alaska Native political participation.

The struggle did not end with the trial. Although the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 granted United States citizenship to Native Americans born in the country, discriminatory voting barriers continued. Alaska adopted a literacy test in 1925 that further restricted access to the ballot.

Today, the story of Tillie Paul Tamaree and Charlie Jones is remembered as an important chapter in Alaska Native civil rights history. Their determination challenged racial discrimination and demonstrated the importance of equal access to democratic participation.

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