Four file for open council seat

ROSEBUD – Four tribal citizens submitted affidavits to be placed on the ballot for the vacant tribal council seat to represent Butte Creek on the Rosebud reservation.

The candidates filing for the Butte Creek council representative are Evastine Wright, Arnetta Rosie Montoya, Brandi Bettelyoun and Paul Joseph. All four candidates were certified as eligible by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s Election Board last week after no challenges were received.

The tribal council seat for Butte Creek community, located in Mellette County, was declared vacant when Travis Wooden Knife declined the position after winning the General Election. There was no reason given to the public as to why Wooden Knife, an employee at the RST Court House, declined the position. Wooden Knife received 1,191 votes over challenger Brandi Bettelyoun who finished with 734 votes. Former council representative Steven Brave was termed out of office after serving two terms.

According to a Motion Excerpt issued by the Tribal Secretary, the action was approved after a lengthy executive session held during the September 13 regular tribal council meeting. The action reads “Motion by Lisa White Pipe to declare Butte Creek council representative seat vacant, order special election with a two (2) week affidavit filing period and one (1) week challenge, seconded by Shere Wright Plank, question by Wayne Frederick. The vote was sixteen (16) in favor, zero (0) opposed and (1) not voting. MOTION CARRIED.”

A date for the special election has not been set and will likely be determined at the next regular tribal council meeting scheduled for this week. The Special Election will be held reservation wide as the tribal council representatives are elected at-large by all registered voters.

The Election Code states “if the office of any community representative becomes vacant before the expiration of the term and a year or more of the term remains, the tribal council, within thirty (30) days after the vacancy, shall order a special election to allow all registered voters to vote for the vacant position.”

In the General Election held in August 2023, nearly 2,000 registered tribal voters cast a ballot. According to the 2020 Census, there are approximately 26,000 tribal citizens living on the Rosebud Reservation. In order to be eligible to vote in local elections, citizens must be tribally enrolled and living on the reservation, as there are no provisions set in the Election Ordinance allowing for absentee ballots. An estimated 7,000 tribal citizens are actually registered to vote.

The tribal council representative is elected for a three-year term. Tribal citizens can call the Election Office at 605-747-2381 for more information on how register to vote in the special election for Butte Creek.

UPDATE