Minnesota Chippewa Tribe members head to the polls for primaries
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe urban office on East Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Melissa Olson | MPR News
Tuesday is primary election day for the six member nations of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.
The Chippewa Tribe is a federally recognized government that includes Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs and White Earth Nations. Members of all of those tribes are voting across the state.
MPR News’ Native News reporter Melissa Olson joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain what’s on the ballot.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: Well, today is primary election day for the six member nations of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The Chippewa tribe is federally recognized government that includes Bois Forte, Fond Du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and White Earth nations. Members of all of those tribes are voting across the state today. Our Native News Reporter Melissa Olson is following the elections, and she's here to fill us in. Welcome, Melissa.
MELISSA OLSON: Hi, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: All right, help us out here. There's a lot going on. So these are primaries that are taking place today. Two candidates from each race for leadership positions are going to advance to a general election in June. If it's, for folks, not clear, we should probably say, each member nation is governed by tribal councils, right?
MELISSA OLSON: That's right.
CATHY WURZER: OK. What power does the tribal council have, and then what do council members do?
MELISSA OLSON: Well, let me take one small step back and just say the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is the federally recognized tribal entity made up of these six member nations. It acts like an umbrella entity or a federated organization. And the MCT provides some technical support to each of these member nations and some services to all members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.
One of the major functions of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is to oversee elections for each of the member nations, and that's happening today. The member nations are governed by reservation business councils. Sometimes we refer to those as tribal councils. Those are the offices that people will vote on today in the primaries.
CATHY WURZER: OK. And there's a lot of races, right?
MELISSA OLSON: That's right. There are races in each of these communities. Each will vote to narrow a field of candidates for chairperson for their respective nations. The only community that will not hold a primary today for their chairperson is the Grand Portage Band. Their incumbent is the only candidate in that race. So there, obviously, won't be a primary there.
Several of the nations will be choosing candidates who will represent the various districts across the six reservations. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will also be selecting three school board members, and the Grand Portage Band will be voting for a committee person at large. And yes, the two top vote getters in each of these races will go on to the general election.
CATHY WURZER: Chairperson Melanie Benjamin is stepping down from Mille Lacs, longtime chairperson there. Is there a primary for her position?
MELISSA OLSON: There is, and that's the one that might be a little bit contentious or competitive. I hear a little bit about that. The race for chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is sought by three candidates. And so we'll see. We'll see what happens in that election. We know that Chief Executive Benjamin announced in January that she would not be seeking a seventh term in office.
CATHY WURZER: What issues are Native voters paying attention to the most today as they go to the polls?
MELISSA OLSON: Yeah, I think landback is a huge issue at White Earth, for White Earth Nation. The Band is seeking to have 155,000 acres of land returned to them from the State of Minnesota. That land is in the White Earth State Forest and is located almost entirely within the boundaries of the White Earth Reservation. So that's a really important issue to White Earth voters today.
Cannabis legalization and regulation is also a big issue for communities for each of the member nations of the MCT. White Earth operates a dispensary. Leech Lake says it may be supporting individual entrepreneurs on the reservation to enter into the cannabis industry. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will break ground on a large cannabis grow facility. So I've heard from folks who are voting in these elections that they want to hear from candidates about how their individual nations will move forward on some of these issues related to cannabis.
CATHY WURZER: Say, when will we know the results of these elections?
MELISSA OLSON: Yeah, so voting will end today at 8:00 PM. There are polls across the state at various locations, including here in Minneapolis. Election boards are appointed by each of the member nations. And they will certify votes tomorrow and announce those candidates who will go on to the general election on Thursday. So we'll know by Thursday the outcome of today's primaries.
CATHY WURZER: All right.
MELISSA OLSON: Those candidates will go on to a general election in early June.
CATHY WURZER: OK, so a lot going on. Thanks for following it for us.
MELISSA OLSON: You're welcome, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to MPR Native News Reporter Melissa Olson.
MELISSA OLSON: Hi, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: All right, help us out here. There's a lot going on. So these are primaries that are taking place today. Two candidates from each race for leadership positions are going to advance to a general election in June. If it's, for folks, not clear, we should probably say, each member nation is governed by tribal councils, right?
MELISSA OLSON: That's right.
CATHY WURZER: OK. What power does the tribal council have, and then what do council members do?
MELISSA OLSON: Well, let me take one small step back and just say the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is the federally recognized tribal entity made up of these six member nations. It acts like an umbrella entity or a federated organization. And the MCT provides some technical support to each of these member nations and some services to all members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.
One of the major functions of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is to oversee elections for each of the member nations, and that's happening today. The member nations are governed by reservation business councils. Sometimes we refer to those as tribal councils. Those are the offices that people will vote on today in the primaries.
CATHY WURZER: OK. And there's a lot of races, right?
MELISSA OLSON: That's right. There are races in each of these communities. Each will vote to narrow a field of candidates for chairperson for their respective nations. The only community that will not hold a primary today for their chairperson is the Grand Portage Band. Their incumbent is the only candidate in that race. So there, obviously, won't be a primary there.
Several of the nations will be choosing candidates who will represent the various districts across the six reservations. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will also be selecting three school board members, and the Grand Portage Band will be voting for a committee person at large. And yes, the two top vote getters in each of these races will go on to the general election.
CATHY WURZER: Chairperson Melanie Benjamin is stepping down from Mille Lacs, longtime chairperson there. Is there a primary for her position?
MELISSA OLSON: There is, and that's the one that might be a little bit contentious or competitive. I hear a little bit about that. The race for chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is sought by three candidates. And so we'll see. We'll see what happens in that election. We know that Chief Executive Benjamin announced in January that she would not be seeking a seventh term in office.
CATHY WURZER: What issues are Native voters paying attention to the most today as they go to the polls?
MELISSA OLSON: Yeah, I think landback is a huge issue at White Earth, for White Earth Nation. The Band is seeking to have 155,000 acres of land returned to them from the State of Minnesota. That land is in the White Earth State Forest and is located almost entirely within the boundaries of the White Earth Reservation. So that's a really important issue to White Earth voters today.
Cannabis legalization and regulation is also a big issue for communities for each of the member nations of the MCT. White Earth operates a dispensary. Leech Lake says it may be supporting individual entrepreneurs on the reservation to enter into the cannabis industry. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will break ground on a large cannabis grow facility. So I've heard from folks who are voting in these elections that they want to hear from candidates about how their individual nations will move forward on some of these issues related to cannabis.
CATHY WURZER: Say, when will we know the results of these elections?
MELISSA OLSON: Yeah, so voting will end today at 8:00 PM. There are polls across the state at various locations, including here in Minneapolis. Election boards are appointed by each of the member nations. And they will certify votes tomorrow and announce those candidates who will go on to the general election on Thursday. So we'll know by Thursday the outcome of today's primaries.
CATHY WURZER: All right.
MELISSA OLSON: Those candidates will go on to a general election in early June.
CATHY WURZER: OK, so a lot going on. Thanks for following it for us.
MELISSA OLSON: You're welcome, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to MPR Native News Reporter Melissa Olson.
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