Cherokee Nation Supreme Court calls for new District 14 election
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. —The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court granted a motion Wednesday to hold a new election in the District 14 Tribal Council race that includes portions of Tulsa and Rogers counties.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Wayne Poteete said the court could not reconcile whether the number of votes in the race could be determined with mathematical certainty.
“We very much appreciate the effort of the election commission with the very difficult task,” he said of the recount hearing.
Cherokee Nation Election Commission officials completed a recount last week under the supervision of the Supreme Court justices. The new results had candidate William Pearson with 525 votes and Keith Austin with 519 votes. The original General Election results had Pearson with 534 to Austin’s 533.
Austin appealed the recount Monday to the court. The Election Commission will begin preparing for the new District 14 Tribal Council election. Officials have yet to announce the date of the new election.
