Fairbanks defeats Tibbets in White Earth Chairman Election

The White Earth General Election was yesterday, and White Earth Tribal Chairman Michael Fairbanks defeated Eugene “Umsy” Tibbetts and will serve another 4 year term. According to the unofficial election results released by White Earth Nation the vote total was 56% to 44%. 

The District 3 Tribal Council seat was also up for election and challenger Laura Lee defeated the incumbent Cheryl “Annie’ Jackson receiving 59% of the vote. 

Voter turnout was strong, with 2,064 voters turning out for the Chairman election, and 1,043 turning out in the District 3 election. 

In a post on his official Facebook page Fairbanks said he is “Deeply honored to stand before you tonight. I am grateful to everyone in our White Earth Nation who has placed their trust in me. As your elected Chairman, I will work tirelessly every day to serve you. I’d like to take a moment to express my gratitude to my friends, family, and all the members of the White Earth Nation for their support during my campaign. I also want to acknowledge my opponent’s campaign and commend their efforts. Together as White Earth Nation we will continue to make further progress for years to come.”

The General Reservation Election Board will now certify the election results on Wednesday and publish the official results on Thursday.