Chippewa Cree gain path to elect county commissioner

According to the Daily Montanan, the Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation will have the opportunity to elect a representative of their choice to the Chouteau County Board of Commissioners following a settlement approved by the U.S. District Court of Montana. The settlement resolves a Voting Rights Act lawsuit alleging the county’s at-large election system diluted Native voting strength and denied representation for more than a decade.

The agreement places the reservation within Chouteau County’s District 1, which will elect a commissioner through a single-member district election, according to a news release from the ACLU of Montana. Chippewa Cree Tribe Chairman Harlan Gopher Baker said the settlement gives the tribe a long-missing voice in county politics. The first election under the new district is scheduled for June 2026, according to the proposed consent decree.