The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court has a busy docket tomorrow, as it’s set to hear petitions, appeals and motions regarding the 2011 general election. One of those is a motion to intervene that was filed today by Principal Chief-elect Bill John Baker.
Baker filed the motion to intervene in Principal Chief Chad Smith’s July 5 appeal of the Election Commission’s June 30 recount that gave Baker a 266-vote win in the principal chief’s race.
Designating himself as the movant or petitioner, Baker states he was certified the winner by the EC and is an interested party because the election results, recount and appeal directly impact his interests as chief-elect.
Baker added that he has been named in Smith’s two filings with the court. Smith said the motion to intervene was expected.
“I hope that my opponent will join me in giving the Cherokee people some confidence in the election by counting the hundreds of vanishing votes that disappeared during the recount,” he said. “We need to correct the obvious mistakes that have been made to this point. This election is too important to be decided by mistakes.”
Baker asks the court to allow him “to examine witnesses and present evidence as a party.”
Baker’s attorneys submitted the motion, but his campaign declined to comment on the filing.
In addition to Baker’s motion and Smith’s appeal, the Supreme Court will hear Smith’s July 1 petition asking for a “complete” count of votes cast for principal chief. Smith alleges the June 30 recount was incomplete because 273 of his votes were not counted, and he is asking the court to grant him a recount using a machine.
Full Article: DEVELOPING: Baker files motion to intervene in appeal of recount.