Leech Lake, White Earth and Mille Lacs hold tribal elections

Leadership choices at Leech Lake, White Earth and Mille Lacs are now set to shape policy that reaches into Beltrami County, from housing and health care to education, public safety and economic development. For Bemidji and nearby communities, the stakes are practical: these governments help steer services and coordination across jurisdictional lines.

The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe’s 2026 election calendar set the pace for all three bands, with primary elections on March 31 and general elections on June 9. Candidate filing ran from Jan. 9 to Jan. 20 for Leech Lake and Mille Lacs, and tribal elections are held every two years under four-year council terms. Mille Lacs listed polling places in Onamia, Isle, McGregor, Sandstone and Minneapolis, with voting open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. White Earth also scheduled a Constitution Delegate Election Information event for June 13 at the White Earth Powwow Grounds from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

At Leech Lake, the spring vote sent Cindy Jackson Kingbird and Michael Reyes into the Secretary/Treasurer race, while Kyle Fairbanks and Jonathan White advanced in District I. Incumbent Steve White won District II outright with more than 50% of the vote. Because Leech Lake has a major presence in north-central Minnesota, its leadership choices can affect how closely the band works with county and city governments on schools, emergency response and service delivery.

Mille Lacs showed its own shift in power. Incumbent Secretary/Treasurer Sheldon Boyd, Sr. won the primary with 61.59% of the vote, Raina Killspotted won District II outright with 57.86%, and Michelle “Shelly” Pomerleau and Lionel Richey advanced in District III. The Mille Lacs primary was certified with 798 total ballots cast, a concrete turnout signal that gives the new council race real weight in a band with a geographically spread electorate.

White Earth’s primary left Jacob McArthur and incumbent Michael “Mike” LaRoque in the Secretary/Treasurer race, while Henry G. Fox and Andy “Jack” Auginaush advanced in District I and Alrick “Son” Accobee and Sheri Kay Snetsinger advanced in District II. White Earth describes itself as the largest of Minnesota’s 11 reservations, covering more than 1,300 square miles, and says its programs focus on economic development, education, language, culture and contemporary challenges. The June results across the three bands now point to a new round of decisions that will reach well beyond the reservation boundaries and into the daily life of the Bemidji region.