PINE RIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA –– John Yellowbird Steele of Pine Ridge soon will begin his sixth non-consecutive two-year term as Oglala Sioux Tribal Chairman.
Yellowbird Steele, who unofficially won the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation’s top executive post after a back-and-forth, hand-count of general election ballots early Wednesday morning, defeated incumbent Theresa Two Bulls of Pine Ridge by an unofficial margin of 60 votes.
Yellowbird Steele won the reservation-wide election with an unofficial 1,744 votes to 1,684 votes for Two Bulls – a single-term tribal president if the Election Commission’s count holds. Both candidates ran strong in Pine Ridge Village, where OST Election Commission judges hand-counted green paper ballots until 2 a.m. Wednesday.
An unofficial final count showed Yellowbird Steele garnering about 51 percent of the vote, while Two Bulls had about 49 percent.
“We had a good election,” said Francis Pumpkin Seed. “The paper ballots slowed us down by several hours. LaCreek also used paper ballots, but the district is small and it was quickly counted.”
Shannon County votes were counted by Fall River County election officials, according to Pumpkin Seed, who plugged that ballot count into the unofficial reservation totals counted at Pine Ridge.
Meanwhile, Thomas Poor Bear unofficially won the tribe’s vice presidency with about 59 percent of the vote for a total of 1,980 winning ballots to Myron Pourier’s 1,433 votes. Poor Bear won an unofficial 59 percent of the vote, compared with Pourier’s 41 percent.
Francis Pumpkin Seed told Native Sun News that 83 challenged votes remained uncounted in Pine Ridge Village District and that he estimated about 300 challenged votes from across the reservation remained uncounted.
He said that the unofficial counts would likely be certified “sometime on Wednesday.” Absentee ballots were included in the unofficial totals, Pumpkin Seed said.
Pine Ridge Village District gave Irving “Irv” Provost 396 unofficial votes and Ella “John” Carlow an unofficial 299 votes. Robin Tapio received an unofficial 273 votes.
Candidates Jim Meeks, an incumbent, and Ruth Brown won the Eagle Nest District’s council representative election. Meeks garnered an unofficial 134 votes and Brown received 128 votes. Meeks tally represented about 30.86 percent of the district vote. Brown gained about 29.47 percent.
LaCreek District saw Donn Fire Thunder receive an unofficial 169 votes and Cora White Horse earned 94. Fire Thunder’s total represented about 64.26 percent of the vote, while White Horse had 35.74 percent.
In Pass Creek District, James Cross, an incumbent, and Elaine Martinez were elected to the tribal council. Cross got an unofficial 143 votes and Martinez received 120 votes. Cross’ total represented about 36.34 percent of the vote. Martinez got about 32.17 percent.
Medicine Root District voters gave 242 unofficial votes to Austin Watkins Sr. and cast 208 votes for James “Toby” Big Boy. Watkins’ total represented about 28.74 percent of that district’s total vote, while Big Boy garnered about 24.70 percent.
Voters in Oglala District cast an unofficial 211 ballots for Paul Little and 178 votes for Deborah J. Rooks-Cook. Little’s vote total represented about 31.08 percent of the total cast in that district. Rooks-Cook received about 26.18 percent of the vote.
Porcupine District saw voters support Troy “Scott” Weston with 204 unofficial winning votes. Beverly A. Tuttle received 170 unofficial votes. Weston’s total represented about 31 percent, while Tuttle earned about 25.84 percent.
Sonia Little Hawk Weston, an incumbent, won in Wakpamni District with an unofficial 268 votes, or 28.48 percent. Debbie Blue Bird won with 252 unofficial votes, or about.26.48 percent.
At Wounded Knee, Kevin Yellowbird Steele won a seat on the council with an unofficial 161 votes, or about 24.92 percent. Voters supported Kathy Janis in Wounded Knee District with an unofficial 150 votes, or about 23.22 percent of the balloting.
Meanwhile, Chief Judge Marwin Smith gained an unofficial 1,368 votes for 51.74 percent. Those voting “no” on the judge’s candidacy tallied an unofficial 48.26 percent of the vote on 1,276 ballots.
In a double-barreled decision, the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission not only has blocked a general election candidate’s appearance on the Nov. 2 ballot, but also has admonished the Tribal Council regarding the panel’s jurisdiction.
Anthony Waters, who first appealed a commission decision to ban him from the primary election ballot, also lost before the tribe’s Supreme Court, which affirmed the commission’s ruling to dismiss his candidacy.
In upholding the commission’s ruling, the tribal Supreme Court ordered Waters off the ballot. Despite that, he went back to the commission asking for reconsideration “based upon district boundaries,” case records show.
“The commission found that … Waters does not even reside within the exterior boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (upon his own admittance) based upon his nominating petition,” a commission official said.
The initial challenge came on the heels of the commission receiving a copy of “minutes from a special session of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council” that showed a motion was made by Stanley Little White Man and seconded by Barbara Dull Knife to place Waters on the general election ballot despite the Election Commission and Supreme Court decisions to ban him from both.
Little White Man represents Medicine Root District. He received nearly 13 percent of the primary election vote, which put him in fifth place behind Austin Watkins Sr., Joseph Rosales, James “Toby” Big Boy and Anne Apple.
Meanwhile, citing several sections of the tribe’s election ordinance, the commissioners admonished that the Tribal Council was overstepping its jurisdictional authority regarding the decision-making of the Election Commission and its authority to supervise the conduct of elections.
“The Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency of the Oglala Sioux Tribe that is responsible for overseeing the election process as provided in this election code,” the commission’s statement said.
In its statement to the OST Tribal Council, the commission said: “In regards to the fact that Waters appealed to the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court after appealing to the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission and to the Oglala Lakota Nation Supreme Court, the commission finds that nowhere in the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Ordinance does it state that the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council is an avenue of relief for an aggrieved candidate.”
Furthermore, the commission said that setting such a precedent “is more harmful than the Tribal Council intends.”
“Should a candidate not be satisfied with the avenue of relief already in place, a candidate can then overstep all the provisions of the law and go direct to the legislative branch of government,” the commission admonished.
In the ruling commissioners said: “Finally, the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission finds that an action by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council overriding a decision of the OST Election Commission and the Oglala Lakota Nation Supreme Court both improper and acting outside the confines of Ordinance 10-15 – tribal ordinance that established and empowered the Election Commission.
The commission also said though Little White Man “is no longer a candidate that … Dull Knife is” a candidate for elective office.
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, the OST Election Commission affirmed that it had disqualified Waters for general election ballot placement in a statement it presented to the Tribal Council.
An unidentified complaint filed with the commission prompted the investigation into Waters’ residency and resulted in the decision to disqualify him. In addition, the ruling affirmed the candidacy of Dull Knife of Oglala District.
Dull Knife got nearly 10 percent of the primary election vote from Oglala District, according to the commission’s official election results.
In an explanation of the ruling, the commission stated: “The Oglala Sioux Tribe Election Commission is in receipt of a complaint upon the aggrieved party, Anthony Waters. The challenge was based on residency. After the commission found merit to the challenge, Anthony Waters was removed from the primary ballot.”
Waters then appealed to the tribe’s Supreme Court, where the commission’s decision was affirmed. The Supreme Court then ordered Waters off the ballot, which includes the Nov. 2 general election, according to a commission official.
Waters’ challenges were denied in their entirety, the official said.
Upshot of the Tribal Supreme Court rulings placed Two Bulls and the remaining six candidates back on the general election ballot, he said.
(Contact Randall Howell at:
arcticman47@yahoo.com)
Native Sun News: Yellowbird Steele wins Oglala Sioux presidency
The following story was written and reported by Randall Howell. All content ©
Native Sun News.
PINE RIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA –– John Yellowbird Steele of Pine Ridge soon will begin his sixth non-consecutive two-year term as Oglala Sioux Tribal Chairman.
Yellowbird Steele, who unofficially won the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation’s top executive post after a back-and-forth, hand-count of general election ballots early Wednesday morning, defeated incumbent Theresa Two Bulls of Pine Ridge by an unofficial margin of 60 votes.
Yellowbird Steele won the reservation-wide election with an unofficial 1,744 votes to 1,684 votes for Two Bulls – a single-term tribal president if the Election Commission’s count holds. Both candidates ran strong in Pine Ridge Village, where OST Election Commission judges hand-counted green paper ballots until 2 a.m. Wednesday.
An unofficial final count showed Yellowbird Steele garnering about 51 percent of the vote, while Two Bulls had about 49 percent.
“We had a good election,” said Francis Pumpkin Seed. “The paper ballots slowed us down by several hours. LaCreek also used paper ballots, but the district is small and it was quickly counted.”
Shannon County votes were counted by Fall River County election officials, according to Pumpkin Seed, who plugged that ballot count into the unofficial reservation totals counted at Pine Ridge.
Meanwhile, Thomas Poor Bear unofficially won the tribe’s vice presidency with about 59 percent of the vote for a total of 1,980 winning ballots to Myron Pourier’s 1,433 votes. Poor Bear won an unofficial 59 percent of the vote, compared with Pourier’s 41 percent.
Francis Pumpkin Seed told Native Sun News that 83 challenged votes remained uncounted in Pine Ridge Village District and that he estimated about 300 challenged votes from across the reservation remained uncounted.
He said that the unofficial counts would likely be certified “sometime on Wednesday.” Absentee ballots were included in the unofficial totals, Pumpkin Seed said.
Pine Ridge Village District gave Irving “Irv” Provost 396 unofficial votes and Ella “John” Carlow an unofficial 299 votes. Robin Tapio received an unofficial 273 votes.
Candidates Jim Meeks, an incumbent, and Ruth Brown won the Eagle Nest District’s council representative election. Meeks garnered an unofficial 134 votes and Brown received 128 votes. Meeks tally represented about 30.86 percent of the district vote. Brown gained about 29.47 percent.
LaCreek District saw Donn Fire Thunder receive an unofficial 169 votes and Cora White Horse earned 94. Fire Thunder’s total represented about 64.26 percent of the vote, while White Horse had 35.74 percent.
In Pass Creek District, James Cross, an incumbent, and Elaine Martinez were elected to the tribal council. Cross got an unofficial 143 votes and Martinez received 120 votes. Cross’ total represented about 36.34 percent of the vote. Martinez got about 32.17 percent.
Medicine Root District voters gave 242 unofficial votes to Austin Watkins Sr. and cast 208 votes for James “Toby” Big Boy. Watkins’ total represented about 28.74 percent of that district’s total vote, while Big Boy garnered about 24.70 percent.
Voters in Oglala District cast an unofficial 211 ballots for Paul Little and 178 votes for Deborah J. Rooks-Cook. Little’s vote total represented about 31.08 percent of the total cast in that district. Rooks-Cook received about 26.18 percent of the vote.
Porcupine District saw voters support Troy “Scott” Weston with 204 unofficial winning votes. Beverly A. Tuttle received 170 unofficial votes. Weston’s total represented about 31 percent, while Tuttle earned about 25.84 percent.
Sonia Little Hawk Weston, an incumbent, won in Wakpamni District with an unofficial 268 votes, or 28.48 percent. Debbie Blue Bird won with 252 unofficial votes, or about.26.48 percent.
At Wounded Knee, Kevin Yellowbird Steele won a seat on the council with an unofficial 161 votes, or about 24.92 percent. Voters supported Kathy Janis in Wounded Knee District with an unofficial 150 votes, or about 23.22 percent of the balloting.
Meanwhile, Chief Judge Marwin Smith gained an unofficial 1,368 votes for 51.74 percent. Those voting “no” on the judge’s candidacy tallied an unofficial 48.26 percent of the vote on 1,276 ballots.
In a double-barreled decision, the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission not only has blocked a general election candidate’s appearance on the Nov. 2 ballot, but also has admonished the Tribal Council regarding the panel’s jurisdiction.
Anthony Waters, who first appealed a commission decision to ban him from the primary election ballot, also lost before the tribe’s Supreme Court, which affirmed the commission’s ruling to dismiss his candidacy.
In upholding the commission’s ruling, the tribal Supreme Court ordered Waters off the ballot. Despite that, he went back to the commission asking for reconsideration “based upon district boundaries,” case records show.
“The commission found that … Waters does not even reside within the exterior boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (upon his own admittance) based upon his nominating petition,” a commission official said.
The initial challenge came on the heels of the commission receiving a copy of “minutes from a special session of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council” that showed a motion was made by Stanley Little White Man and seconded by Barbara Dull Knife to place Waters on the general election ballot despite the Election Commission and Supreme Court decisions to ban him from both.
Little White Man represents Medicine Root District. He received nearly 13 percent of the primary election vote, which put him in fifth place behind Austin Watkins Sr., Joseph Rosales, James “Toby” Big Boy and Anne Apple.
Meanwhile, citing several sections of the tribe’s election ordinance, the commissioners admonished that the Tribal Council was overstepping its jurisdictional authority regarding the decision-making of the Election Commission and its authority to supervise the conduct of elections.
“The Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency of the Oglala Sioux Tribe that is responsible for overseeing the election process as provided in this election code,” the commission’s statement said.
In its statement to the OST Tribal Council, the commission said: “In regards to the fact that Waters appealed to the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court after appealing to the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission and to the Oglala Lakota Nation Supreme Court, the commission finds that nowhere in the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Ordinance does it state that the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council is an avenue of relief for an aggrieved candidate.”
Furthermore, the commission said that setting such a precedent “is more harmful than the Tribal Council intends.”
“Should a candidate not be satisfied with the avenue of relief already in place, a candidate can then overstep all the provisions of the law and go direct to the legislative branch of government,” the commission admonished.
In the ruling commissioners said: “Finally, the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission finds that an action by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council overriding a decision of the OST Election Commission and the Oglala Lakota Nation Supreme Court both improper and acting outside the confines of Ordinance 10-15 – tribal ordinance that established and empowered the Election Commission.
The commission also said though Little White Man “is no longer a candidate that … Dull Knife is” a candidate for elective office.
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, the OST Election Commission affirmed that it had disqualified Waters for general election ballot placement in a statement it presented to the Tribal Council.
An unidentified complaint filed with the commission prompted the investigation into Waters’ residency and resulted in the decision to disqualify him. In addition, the ruling affirmed the candidacy of Dull Knife of Oglala District.
Dull Knife got nearly 10 percent of the primary election vote from Oglala District, according to the commission’s official election results.
In an explanation of the ruling, the commission stated: “The Oglala Sioux Tribe Election Commission is in receipt of a complaint upon the aggrieved party, Anthony Waters. The challenge was based on residency. After the commission found merit to the challenge, Anthony Waters was removed from the primary ballot.”
Waters then appealed to the tribe’s Supreme Court, where the commission’s decision was affirmed. The Supreme Court then ordered Waters off the ballot, which includes the Nov. 2 general election, according to a commission official.
Waters’ challenges were denied in their entirety, the official said.
Upshot of the Tribal Supreme Court rulings placed Two Bulls and the remaining six candidates back on the general election ballot, he said.
(Contact Randall Howell at:
arcticman47@yahoo.com)
PINE RIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA –– John Yellowbird Steele of Pine Ridge soon will begin his sixth non-consecutive two-year term as Oglala Sioux Tribal Chairman.
Yellowbird Steele, who unofficially won the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation’s top executive post after a back-and-forth, hand-count of general election ballots early Wednesday morning, defeated incumbent Theresa Two Bulls of Pine Ridge by an unofficial margin of 60 votes.
Yellowbird Steele won the reservation-wide election with an unofficial 1,744 votes to 1,684 votes for Two Bulls – a single-term tribal president if the Election Commission’s count holds. Both candidates ran strong in Pine Ridge Village, where OST Election Commission judges hand-counted green paper ballots until 2 a.m. Wednesday.
An unofficial final count showed Yellowbird Steele garnering about 51 percent of the vote, while Two Bulls had about 49 percent.
“We had a good election,” said Francis Pumpkin Seed. “The paper ballots slowed us down by several hours. LaCreek also used paper ballots, but the district is small and it was quickly counted.”
Shannon County votes were counted by Fall River County election officials, according to Pumpkin Seed, who plugged that ballot count into the unofficial reservation totals counted at Pine Ridge.
Meanwhile, Thomas Poor Bear unofficially won the tribe’s vice presidency with about 59 percent of the vote for a total of 1,980 winning ballots to Myron Pourier’s 1,433 votes. Poor Bear won an unofficial 59 percent of the vote, compared with Pourier’s 41 percent.
Francis Pumpkin Seed told Native Sun News that 83 challenged votes remained uncounted in Pine Ridge Village District and that he estimated about 300 challenged votes from across the reservation remained uncounted.
He said that the unofficial counts would likely be certified “sometime on Wednesday.” Absentee ballots were included in the unofficial totals, Pumpkin Seed said.
Pine Ridge Village District gave Irving “Irv” Provost 396 unofficial votes and Ella “John” Carlow an unofficial 299 votes. Robin Tapio received an unofficial 273 votes.
Candidates Jim Meeks, an incumbent, and Ruth Brown won the Eagle Nest District’s council representative election. Meeks garnered an unofficial 134 votes and Brown received 128 votes. Meeks tally represented about 30.86 percent of the district vote. Brown gained about 29.47 percent.
LaCreek District saw Donn Fire Thunder receive an unofficial 169 votes and Cora White Horse earned 94. Fire Thunder’s total represented about 64.26 percent of the vote, while White Horse had 35.74 percent.
In Pass Creek District, James Cross, an incumbent, and Elaine Martinez were elected to the tribal council. Cross got an unofficial 143 votes and Martinez received 120 votes. Cross’ total represented about 36.34 percent of the vote. Martinez got about 32.17 percent.
Medicine Root District voters gave 242 unofficial votes to Austin Watkins Sr. and cast 208 votes for James “Toby” Big Boy. Watkins’ total represented about 28.74 percent of that district’s total vote, while Big Boy garnered about 24.70 percent.
Voters in Oglala District cast an unofficial 211 ballots for Paul Little and 178 votes for Deborah J. Rooks-Cook. Little’s vote total represented about 31.08 percent of the total cast in that district. Rooks-Cook received about 26.18 percent of the vote.
Porcupine District saw voters support Troy “Scott” Weston with 204 unofficial winning votes. Beverly A. Tuttle received 170 unofficial votes. Weston’s total represented about 31 percent, while Tuttle earned about 25.84 percent.
Sonia Little Hawk Weston, an incumbent, won in Wakpamni District with an unofficial 268 votes, or 28.48 percent. Debbie Blue Bird won with 252 unofficial votes, or about.26.48 percent.
At Wounded Knee, Kevin Yellowbird Steele won a seat on the council with an unofficial 161 votes, or about 24.92 percent. Voters supported Kathy Janis in Wounded Knee District with an unofficial 150 votes, or about 23.22 percent of the balloting.
Meanwhile, Chief Judge Marwin Smith gained an unofficial 1,368 votes for 51.74 percent. Those voting “no” on the judge’s candidacy tallied an unofficial 48.26 percent of the vote on 1,276 ballots.
In a double-barreled decision, the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission not only has blocked a general election candidate’s appearance on the Nov. 2 ballot, but also has admonished the Tribal Council regarding the panel’s jurisdiction.
Anthony Waters, who first appealed a commission decision to ban him from the primary election ballot, also lost before the tribe’s Supreme Court, which affirmed the commission’s ruling to dismiss his candidacy.
In upholding the commission’s ruling, the tribal Supreme Court ordered Waters off the ballot. Despite that, he went back to the commission asking for reconsideration “based upon district boundaries,” case records show.
“The commission found that … Waters does not even reside within the exterior boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (upon his own admittance) based upon his nominating petition,” a commission official said.
The initial challenge came on the heels of the commission receiving a copy of “minutes from a special session of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council” that showed a motion was made by Stanley Little White Man and seconded by Barbara Dull Knife to place Waters on the general election ballot despite the Election Commission and Supreme Court decisions to ban him from both.
Little White Man represents Medicine Root District. He received nearly 13 percent of the primary election vote, which put him in fifth place behind Austin Watkins Sr., Joseph Rosales, James “Toby” Big Boy and Anne Apple.
Meanwhile, citing several sections of the tribe’s election ordinance, the commissioners admonished that the Tribal Council was overstepping its jurisdictional authority regarding the decision-making of the Election Commission and its authority to supervise the conduct of elections.
“The Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency of the Oglala Sioux Tribe that is responsible for overseeing the election process as provided in this election code,” the commission’s statement said.
In its statement to the OST Tribal Council, the commission said: “In regards to the fact that Waters appealed to the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court after appealing to the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission and to the Oglala Lakota Nation Supreme Court, the commission finds that nowhere in the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Ordinance does it state that the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council is an avenue of relief for an aggrieved candidate.”
Furthermore, the commission said that setting such a precedent “is more harmful than the Tribal Council intends.”
“Should a candidate not be satisfied with the avenue of relief already in place, a candidate can then overstep all the provisions of the law and go direct to the legislative branch of government,” the commission admonished.
In the ruling commissioners said: “Finally, the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Election Commission finds that an action by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council overriding a decision of the OST Election Commission and the Oglala Lakota Nation Supreme Court both improper and acting outside the confines of Ordinance 10-15 – tribal ordinance that established and empowered the Election Commission.
The commission also said though Little White Man “is no longer a candidate that … Dull Knife is” a candidate for elective office.
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, the OST Election Commission affirmed that it had disqualified Waters for general election ballot placement in a statement it presented to the Tribal Council.
An unidentified complaint filed with the commission prompted the investigation into Waters’ residency and resulted in the decision to disqualify him. In addition, the ruling affirmed the candidacy of Dull Knife of Oglala District.
Dull Knife got nearly 10 percent of the primary election vote from Oglala District, according to the commission’s official election results.
In an explanation of the ruling, the commission stated: “The Oglala Sioux Tribe Election Commission is in receipt of a complaint upon the aggrieved party, Anthony Waters. The challenge was based on residency. After the commission found merit to the challenge, Anthony Waters was removed from the primary ballot.”
Waters then appealed to the tribe’s Supreme Court, where the commission’s decision was affirmed. The Supreme Court then ordered Waters off the ballot, which includes the Nov. 2 general election, according to a commission official.
Waters’ challenges were denied in their entirety, the official said.
Upshot of the Tribal Supreme Court rulings placed Two Bulls and the remaining six candidates back on the general election ballot, he said.
(Contact Randall Howell at:
arcticman47@yahoo.com)
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
More Stories
Share this Story!
You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
All stories in the Indianz.Com Archive are available for publishing via Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)