Rocky Boy election results overturned

The results of the latest elections for the four new members of the Chippewa Cree Business Committee was thrown out this morning.

Melody Whitford, the judge who oversaw the Jonathan Windy Boy v. Election Board hearing, released her decision in favor of Windy Boy today.

Windy Boy, who was a candidate and lost the election, filed a complaint against the way the election was conducted because an honorary member voted. Only a candidate in the election can file a complaint against the results.

Father Pete Guthneck was awarded an honorary membership to the Chippewa Cree Tribe and voted in the election. The election ordinance states that only fully enrolled members of the tribe, which Guthneck is not, can vote.

In a court document announcing Whitford’s decision, it states “the Court finds that there is a substantial amount of evidence to indicate this Election was in fact tainted and violations were made not only in regards to the Tribal Constitution but to the Election Ordinance as well.

“The Chippewa Cree Tribal Election Committee cannot use the appellate ruling to fall back on each and every time a mistake is made on an election.”

She ordered that another election be held.

The chair of the election committee, Cecilia Parker, admitted that a mistake was made when they wrote in Guthneck’s name in a book of enrolled members that is meant to be checked when someone votes in the tribal elections. She and her attorney, Lynn Fagen, cited a previous case between Ken Blatt St. Marks and the business committee in which St. Marks contested 16 votes and the judge decided in the election committee’s favor because the 16 votes would not have changed the outcome of the election.

Read more about this story in Friday’s issue of the Havre Daily News.