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Friday, January 9, 2004

A member of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is going to trial in state court on February 9 for alleged voter fraud in the 2002 U.S. Senate election.

Rebecca Red Earth-Villeda is accused of submitting fraudulent absentee ballots. She was charged with eight counts of forgery by state officials.

Villeda is one of two people charged in connection with alleged voter fraud on reservations. But the state attorney general said there was no widespread fraud. State officials subpoenaed residents of the Crow Creek Reservation as part of their probe.

The investigation was controversial because Republican John Thune lost the Senate race to Democrat Tim Johnson. Indian voters carried Johnson to victory.

Get the Story:
Official reports some voter fraud still unsolved (The Rapid City Journal 1/9)

Related Stories:
S.D. woman to go to trial on voter fraud charges (05/13)
S.D. woman indicted again for voter fraud (04/03)
Editorial: Pursue S.D. voter fraud case (02/26)
S.D. tribes contest reach of Supreme Court case (02/19)
Judge won't force tribe to accept subpoenas (02/19)
S.D. puts pressure on tribal sovereignty (2/12)
Native woman in S.D. pleased with state action (2/12)
S.D. tribe won't force members to testify (02/07)
S.D. Sioux tribe fights state subpoenas (2/4)
Supreme Court work at issue as judge debated (01/30)
State power over tribal government in dispute (12/03)
Indian votes helped Johnson (11/7)
Sioux tribal members file voting rights suit (08/06)

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