The Rosebud Sioux Tribe and Oyate For Fairness and Equal Representation (OFFER) hosted an "Empowerment Gathering" on September 16, 2016, to turn out the vote for the Cherry Todd Electric Cooperative. Photo from OFFER
A concerted effort to turn out the Native vote paid off for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. The Cherry Todd Electric Cooperative has provided service to the reservation for 70 years and the overwhelming majority of customers are Rosebud Sioux. Yet only two tribal citizens have ever served on the utility's board of directors during that time. The situation changed on Saturday when voters elected Shawn Bordeaux and Kathleen Wooden Knife to the board. Bordeaux, a Democratic state lawmaker, will serve as a Todd County director and Wooden Knife, who sits on the tribal council, will serve as an at-large director. "OFFER worked hard to get info and awareness out to the people about this important election. Congratulations to Shawn Bordeaux and Kathleen Wooden Knife," the Oyate For Fairness and Equal Representation group wrote on Facebook after the results came in.
OFFER on Facebook: 4th Annual Empowerment Gathering
OFFER worked closely with the tribe to enlist candidates for the election and turn out the vote. They hosted a candidate forum, an "empowerment gathering" on the day before the election and a breakfast on the day of the election to generate and maintain interest on the reservation. Three tribal members ran for three open seats on the board, with Bordeaux and Wooden Knife seeing success with their campaigns. The third seat was won by incumbent Dave Assman, who is not a Rosebud citizen but who attended the OFFER candidate forum earlier this month and encouraged more local participation, Native Sun News Today reported. The three winning candidates will serve three-year terms. They join five other members on the eight-member board, including Whitney Meek, who is Rosebud. Meek first joined the board in 2009, The Lakota Country Times reported. Rod J. Bordeaux, also Rosebud, won a seat at the time as well and both were the first tribal citizens to serve on the board. "The composition of the board of directors is important, because the coop makes decisions that can affect energy bills - both in the short and long-term - and the quality of our environment," the paper reported at the time. "Those decisions include whether to support development of renewable wind energy on tribal lands, whether to prioritize new energy efficiency projects, and how to handle families that are unable to pay their electric bills." Cherry-Todd Electric Cooperative provides utility service to Todd County and Mellette County in South Dakota. Todd County falls entirely within the boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation. Additional tribal lands fall within Mellette County. The cooperative also provides service to Cherry County across the border in Nebraska.
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Country Times: 'Empowerment' turns out vote at Rosebud (9/16) Native Sun News Today: Rosebud group seeks to end 'apartheid' (9/16)
