Oklahoma: The Cherokee Nation Chief election will go to a recount | kjrh.com

The tight Cherokee Nation chief election will now be hand counted beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday. Initially, challenger Bill John Baker was named the un-official winner of the Cherokee Nation election on Sunday, by 11 votes

On Monday, the official results showed incumbent Chief Chad Smith the winner by seven votes. Both candidates hope Thursday’s recount will end the dispute.

“I think it’s black eye on the Cherokee Nation, I think it’s a travesty to the citizens that voted because they ought to know that their vote counted,” said candidate Bill John Baker.

Oklahoma: Baker accuses Smith employees of tampering with Cherokee election | Tulsa World

Cherokee Nation principal chief candidate Bill John Baker on Wednesday afternoon formally requested a recount of this weekend’s election.

The tribe’s election commission overturned the unofficial results posted on its website early Sunday morning. The unofficial tally — 7,600 to 7,589 — listed Baker as the winner by 11 votes, but official figures released by the commission Monday afternoon declared current chief Chad Smith the victor by a 7,609-7,602 margin.

“We demand to know what caused the change in vote tally. We want to know who demanded the change and why,” he said at a news conference. “All Cherokees should demand to know the truth.”

Oklahoma: Voter-ID law faces another legal challenge in Tulsa | Tulsa World

Another legal challenge has been filed in Tulsa County against Oklahoma’s new voter-identification law.

A lawsuit filed Tuesday against the state Election Board asserts that the impact of that law, approved by state voters in November, will create “serious interference” with the unrestricted right to vote for voters who “do not have appropriate identifying credentials or who are unwilling to accept any level of this statewide infringement on the right to vote.”

Oklahoma: Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma election draws comparisons to 2000 presidential vote in Florida | The Republic

Cherokee Nation council members expressed hope Tuesday that the controversy swirling around the disputed election for the principal chief’s office can be resolved amicably. The election and its aftermath are drawing comparisons to the famed recount in the 2000 presidential election in Florida involving Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore.

Longtime tribal councilman and challenger Bill John Baker, who trailed three-term incumbent Chad Smith by seven votes in the latest count from Saturday’s election, didn’t file a formal recount request Tuesday but is expected to do so by Wednesday’s 5 p.m. deadline.

The Cherokee Nation is Oklahoma’s largest American Indian tribe and one of the nation’s biggest, with membership approaching 300,000 members.

Oklahoma: Cherokees elect chief but recount needed – UPI.com

The Cherokee Nation elected a new principal chief by just 11 votes and a recount is under way, officials in Oklahoma said.

After a night of counting and recounting, tribal council member Bill John Baker defeated incumbent Principal Chief Chad Smith by a 7,600 to 7,589, the Tulsa World reported Monday.

“Every day on the campaign trail, I have said ‘we all come from one fire,'” Baker said. “Now that the election is over, I hope we can all join together to keep our fire burning brighter than ever before.”

Oklahoma: Certified Results: Cherokee Chief Chad Smith Wins By 7 | KOTV.com

The Cherokee Nation election commission says its official count of the ballots from last weekend’s election give the victory to incumbent principal chief Chad Smith by seven votes.

The certified results released Monday afternoon in Tahlequah have Chad Smith with 7,609 votes and challenger Bill John Baker with 7,602 votes. Over the weekend, the unofficial results had Baker winning by 11 votes.

“If you recall at the close of Saturday night, at the close of the regular ballot count, I was leading. And something happened between 2 o’clock in the morning and 7 o’clock the next morning. I was trailing,” Smith said.

Oklahoma: Voter ID law begins | Tulsa Today

Tulsa County Election Board Chairman Patty Bryant urges voters to be aware that effective July 1, 2011, State Question 746, also known as the “voter ID law,” and which was overwhelming approved by 74% of Oklahoma voters, goes into effect. Voters should know that when they go to vote after July 1, 2011, every voter will be asked for proof of identity whether they are voting at the polls or voting early at the County Election Board.

Documents used for proof of identity for voting purposes must have been issued by the federal, state, or a tribal government and must include the voter’s name, photograph, and an expiration date after the date of the election.  Voters also may use their voter identification card or a temporary voter identification document issued by the County Election Board.

Oklahoma: Vote-counting technology to change in Oklahoma | MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

Paul Ziriax said Friday that voting in Oklahoma will be very different next year. Ziriax, secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, said vote-counting technology used across the state will be overhauled by February.

Oklahoma counties use a standardized device that requires the voter to use either a No. 2 pencil or a special pen.

“In the case of absentee ballots, since we can’t send a special pen to every single voter that gets an absentee ballot, that’s why we instruct them to use a No. 2 pencil,” he said.