Five Tribal Council newcomers won in Thursday’s election on the Qualla Boundary, which saw lower-than-normal turnout..
Eastern Band of Cherokee (EBCI) voters headed to the polls to cast ballots for all 12 seats of Tribal Council. The results, not yet certified, show that the council will no longer be all men with four women entering the Council House in October.
Robert Jumper, publisher of the tribally owned Cherokee One Feather, called the results “historic.”
“Our council has been all male for the past session. They haven't been confirmed, but the unofficial results say we have four women in positions and one new man in a position in Snowbird,” Jumper said.
All 12 Tribal Council seats are up for re-election every two years. There was also a school board election for open seats in Wolfetown/Big Y and Birdtown.
Under the Tribe’s charter, the council wields direct power over most public issues.
“They have not only legislative authority, they also have quasi-judicial and executive authority given to them through the charter. They're basically the governors of our tribe,” Jumper said.
Many policies enacted by Tribal Council have a wide impact beyond the boundary.
“For the last 20-some years, the tribe has had such a huge economic impact in Western North Carolina and beyond,” Jumper said.
The tribe is an economic powerhouse in the region with more than $2 billion in annual revenue at two casinos, as well as other enterprises like North Carolina’s only legal marijuana dispensary that opened in 2024.
Jumper explains that while there are 16,000 members of the tribe, about 8,500 members are eligible to vote. There were 5,563 votes cast total, with each tribal member voting for two candidates. That means about 2,780 people – 30% of those eligible to vote – turned out.
“That's a typically low turnout based on the number of voters we have. But it was enough to make a significant change in the tribal government,” Jumper said.
In most North Carolina municipal elections, cities and counties usually see less than 20% turnout in non-presidential election years.
The vote was incredibly close in a number of races, with one unofficial victor edging out the competition by just three votes. When there is a difference of 2% or less between candidates, the trailing candidate can request the ECBI Board of Elections conduct a recount.
Jumper says three candidates that could fall within that range: Jeff Thompson in Painttown, Joey Owle in Wolfetown and Patrick Lambert in Birdtown.
Candidates have until Monday to request the recount, Jumper said.
Election results will be finalized during a special session of Tribal Council on or by Sept. 30. The inauguration is scheduled for October 6.
Here’s the unofficial Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) election results, reported by the Cherokee One Feather:
Kolanvyi (Big Cove)
Lavita Hill 214
Venita K. Wolfe 168
Perry Shell 132(Incumbent)
Richard French 120
Tsisqwohi (Birdtown)
Jim Owle 471(Incumbent)
Boyd Owle 425 (Incumbent)
Patrick Lambert 417
Joi Owle 183
Aniwodihi (Painttown)
Sean Michael Stamper 273(Incumbent)
Shannon Swimmer 166
Jeff Thompson 163
Bill Taylor 109
Tutiyi/Tsalagi Gadugi (Snowbird/Cherokee County)
Adam Wachacha 213 (Incumbent)
Michael Smoker 185
Bucky Brown 174(Incumbent)
Janell Rattler 173
Wayohi (Wolftown)
Bo Crowe 505 (Incumbent)
Mike Parker 328 (Incumbent)
Joey Owle 320
Glenn Bradley 142
Elawodi (Yellowhill)
David Wolfe 204 (Incumbent)
Shennelle Feather 185
Tom Wahnetah 170 (Incumbent)
Chris Reed 123
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Wayohi/Widagalinidisgv (Wolftown/Big Y) School Board
Berdie Toineeta 319 (Incumbent)
Timmy Ray Smith 206
Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) School Board
Melanie Lambert 416 (Incumbent)
Gloria “Punkin” Griffin 355
