Concerns Raised Over Proposed Election Ordinance for Three Affiliated Tribes
Travis Bateman
Farmer Staff Writer
Members of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation) are raising concerns over a proposed revision to the tribe’s election ordinance after former Chairman, Tex Hall, submitted a detailed memorandum criticizing the changes and calling for greater transparency.
The draft election ordinance, dated Feb. 11, 2026, was released by the Tribal Business Council with a public comment period that closed March 13. However, Hall and several tribal members argue the proposal could significantly change how referendum elections are conducted and potentially make it harder for members to challenge council decisions.
Concerns About Transparency
In his March 12 memorandum addressed to the Tribal Business Council, Hall said the way the proposal was presented to tribal members lacked transparency.
He noted that the council did not release a redlined version of the ordinance showing exactly what changes were being proposed compared with the existing election code. Without that comparison, Hall wrote, members were forced to manually review two lengthy documents line by line to identify revisions.
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