The Chippewa Cree Indians of Rocky Boy’s Reservation and two Native residents of Chouteau County say they are now working with the county toward a possible settlement in a federal voting-rights lawsuit challenging the county’s at-large system for electing county commissioners.
The plaintiffs argue that the current countywide voting structure violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Native residents, who make up about 20% of the county’s voting-age population.
One of the plaintiffs, Tanya Schmockel, who works as the compliance director for the Chippewa Cree Tribe, says her involvement began when she noticed the absence of basic county services in the area, where many Native residents live on the Chouteau County side of the reservation.
She says, “I just kind of realized, looking around, why there are no county services provided to me or the community that I live in? So that kind of spurred me to start thinking like, okay, what’s missing here? What am I missing?”
Schmockel says residents go without routine road cleanup, trash pickup, snow removal, and patrol services - services she expected would be available to all county residents.
“We are in Chouteau County, we are residents,” she says, “You would think you would see some of these services being provided, but they’re not. So where are our resources going?”
The lawsuit argues that the at-large voting system allows the non-Native majority to override Native voters’ preferences in every commissioner race, leaving reservation-area residents without a meaningful chance to elect a candidate of their choice. Plaintiffs want the county to adopt district-based elections, where commissioners would be chosen by voters within their specific districts.
“We want maybe to have, one day, a candidate that we could support, and having an at-large system doesn’t support that,” Schmockel explains, “So that’s what we would like, maybe some sort of districting, and then just those community members in that district being able to vote for that district.”
Schmockel says the tone of negotiations has shifted in recent weeks, with both sides openly discussing solutions. The Chippewa Cree Tribal Council met Monday morning with attorneys to go over potential settlement terms, and county officials have begun offering ideas as well.
Schmockel said one option raised by Chouteau County was the possibility of redrawing county boundaries so the entire Rocky Boy’s Reservation would sit within Hill County. Schmockel noted the idea was discussed but appears unlikely to advance, though it showed the county is actively participating in finding potential paths forward.
“They’re definitely working with us now, which is great,” she says. “We’re hoping to have something maybe to present to the judge, possibly in December. So fingers crossed we can all come to some sort of agreement and absolutely move forward, and I can maybe feel like I am part of the county.”
MTN tried to contact Chouteau County for comment, but we have not yet received a response.
The case remains in federal district court as negotiations continue.
