In January, the
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation elected Sandra Pattea as tribal President, ousting long-term tribal leader Bernadine Burnette, who first joined the tribal council in 1992. Also in January, the
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community elevated Cole Miller from vice chair to tribal chairman, Debra O'Gara was elected President of the
Petersburg Indian Association in Alaska, Fred L. Romero was elected governor of the
Taos Pueblo, and Craig Quanchello was named governor of the
Picuris Pueblo. In February, the
Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians elected Doug Barrett tribal chief in a special election to fill the remainder of Donald "Doc" Slyter's term, which expires in April 2030. Slyter died in November 2023. In March, the
Apache Tribe of Oklahoma reelected Durell Cooper III as tribal chairman and Matthew Tselee as vice-chairman. Dustin Cozad was elected Apache Treasurer and Donald Komardley and Amber Achilta were elected to the tribe's business committee. The
Peoria Tribe of Oklahoma elected Jason Dollarhide as treasurer, Carolyn Ritchey to the business committee, and Stacy Lindsly to the grievance committee. In April,
Lisa Goree was elected chair of the
Shinnecock Nation on Long Island. She is the first woman to lead the tribe since 1792. In May, Forrest Tahdooahnippah was elected as chair of the
Comanche Nation, replacing Mark Woommavovah who declined to run for reelection after being censured for his approval of a refinery project on tribal land; Diana Doyebi-Sovo was elected vice-chair. The
Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma elected Mikal Scott-Werner second chief, Kallista Keah as secretary-treasurer, Cody Hollenbeck first councilman, and Rachel Marie Yeakley to the tribe's grievance committee. The Wasco, part of the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, elected Jefferson Greene chief in a special election. Michael Q. Primus II, Ben Lucero Wolf, Tiya "Tanequodle" Rosario, and Warren Quetone were elected to the
Kiowa Tribe's legislature. The
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho elected Lee Juan Tyler as chair of the Fort Hall Business Council. In June, the
Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona elected Julian Hernandez tribal council chair. The
Osage Nation elected Pam Shaw, John Maker, Billy Keene, Maria Whitehorn, and Joe Tillman to the Osage Congress. Also in June,
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe voters elected Bruce Savage to lead the
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and reelected Cathy Chavers as head of the
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Faron Jackson Sr. of the
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and Michael Fairbanks of the
White Earth Nation.
Grand Portage Band of Chippewa chairperson Robert Deschampe was unopposed. The sixth group in the tribe, the
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, elected Virgil Wind chief executive in April when he won the primary election outright with more than 50 percent of the vote. Wind succeeded Melanie Benjamin who decided not to run for a seventh term. In July, the
Chickasaw Nation reelected David Woerz, Toby Perkins, Nancy Elliott, Shana Tate Darter, and Scott Wood to the tribe's legislature and Linda English Weeks to the tribe's supreme court. In August, Kathleen Wooden Knife won an open-seat race to become the first woman elected President of the
Rosebud Sioux Tribe. In October,
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa voters reelected tribal President John Johnson, and the
Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas reelected Gail Cheatham as chairperson. In November, Gene Small was elected President of the
Northern Cheyenne Tribe, narrowly defeating incumbent Serena Wetherelt; Ernest Littlemouth Sr. was elected vice President. The
Crow Tribe reelected Frank White Clay as tribal chair;
Chippewa Cree Business Committee Chair Harlan Baker was also reelected.
Referendums In January, three proposed
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes constitutional amendments failed after only 11.3% of voters returned ballots, short of the 30% voter turnout required for constitutional amendments to pass by the tribe's constitution. In June, the
Cherokee Nation rejected a referendum calling for a constitutional convention to amend or replace the tribe's constitution by a margin of 69.5% to 30.5%. Also in June, the
Osage Nation voters approved 76.9% to 23.1% a constitutional amendment allowing the Osage Congress to reject executive appointees during a special session. A
Kiowa Tribe referendum scheduled for June that would have raised citizens'
blood quantum was cancelled. In July,
Seneca Nation voters rejected a referendum to establish a tribal police department. In October, the
Yurok Tribe voted in favor of removing
blood quantum requirements for membership with a descent-based tribal membership in an advisory referendum. The Yurok tribal council will decide whether or not to amend membership requirements in the tribe's constitution. == Territories ==