NETT LAKE — Bois Forte voters opted for significant change in Tuesday’s tribal election, ousting two incumbent tribal council members while returning only one to office.
Former longtime Secretary-Treasurer David Morrison Sr. defeated incumbent Tara Geshick in a rematch of their 2022 race, while Mildred Holmes unseated incumbent District I Representative Shane Drift. District II Representative Robert Moyer Jr. was the only incumbent to retain his seat, defeating challenger Alanna Sherman.
Morrison’s victory marked a political comeback for the former secretary-treasurer, who served on the tribal council for 32 years before narrowly losing to Geshick four years ago. This time, Morrison posted a decisive 248-186 win.
The outcome had been foreshadowed in March’s primary election, when Morrison finished ahead of Geshick.
Morrison carried District I Nett Lake, District II Vermilion, and absentee voting by comfortable margins, while Geshick held only a narrow advantage at the urban polling sites in Minneapolis and Duluth. Combined, those two sites gave Geshick an 11-vote edge, but Morrison dominated reservation and absentee voting, including a 48-32 advantage in absentee ballots.
Morrison won the Nett Lake vote 67-49 and carried Vermilion by a 100-61 margin.
The District I race between Drift and Holmes proved considerably tighter and featured a dramatic turnaround late in the count.
After votes from Vermilion, Minneapolis, and Duluth had been counted, Drift held a 41-33 lead over Holmes. But Holmes overwhelmed Drift in Nett Lake, where she outpolled the incumbent 65-45 to seize control of the race.
Drift gained only a slight edge in absentee voting, with Holmes claiming the final victory by a 129-119 margin.
Moyer’s victory in the District II race was driven largely by a strong showing in Vermilion, where he defeated Sherman 81-63. That 18-vote margin accounted for the bulk of his eventual 101-86 victory.
A total of 447 voters cast ballots in the election. Turnout was somewhat lower than in the June 2024 election, when a contested race for tribal chair generated heavier participation.
Vote counting was conducted live over Microsoft Teams, with paper ballots from each precinct displayed individually during the tally process. Minneapolis ballots were counted first, followed by Duluth, Vermilion, Nett Lake, and absentee ballots.
The counting process encountered a delay in Nett Lake after election judge tallies for both District I ballots and absentee ballots failed to match. Both groups of ballots were recounted before the final unofficial totals were announced.
Election results remain unofficial until certification on Wednesday.