NETT LAKE - Members of the Bois Forte Band went to the ballot box on Tuesday for tribal council elections, re-electing one incumbent and placing two new faces on the council.
Unofficial results posted Tuesday night showed tight races for all three contested seats.
Tara Geshick won the secretary/treasurer seat by the narrowest of margins, defeating longtime incumbent David Morrison Sr. by just three votes, 258-255. Morrison was the favorite of voters in Nett Lake and absentee voters, but Geshick held the advantage in Minneapolis, Duluth, and Vermilion to claim the win in the unofficial results.
In the District 2 contest, Robert Moyer edged Hannah Chosa for the tribal council position, 103-99.
The race swung Moyer’s way in the Vermilion sector where he had a solid 84-63 advantage. It will be Moyer’s first time as a member of the tribal council.
District 1 council member Shane Drift was the lone incumbent to win re-election, defeating Simona Benner 168-142. Among election day voters, Benner had a 117-99 edge, but absentee voters preferred Drift by 44 votes, 69-25.
All three winners were elected to four-year terms on the council. The General Reservation Election Board is responsible for certifying the results.
If a candidate requests a recount, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Election Ordinance specifies that the request must be filed within three days of the election and the election board must act upon the request within five days of it being filed. A recount may be ordered if the election board determines that the closeness of a vote makes it desirable, or if a material question exists regarding the accuracy of the initial count.