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Bobbie Smith waves to a crowd of supporters at Principal Chief Chad Smith's election watch party May 24 after the announcement of her husband's re-election. Joining in the celebration are District 1 Councilor-elect Audra Smoke-Connor, left, District 1 council candidate Rev. Rick Gassaway, third from left, and Chief Smith. (Photo by Will Chavez)

A majority of Cherokee voters re-elected Principal Chief Chad 'Corntassel' Smith to lead the second largest tribe in the United States for four more years.

Official results show Smith received 7,281 votes (52 percent) in the tribe’s election held May 24. Former principal chief Joe Byrd received 5,449 votes (39 percent), while L.S. Fields received 969 votes (7 percent) and Robin Mayes received 215 votes (2 percent).

"I feel humbled and honored the Cherokee people voted to give me another four years", Smith said. "I will work even harder and use common sense to continue our language programs, create jobs and build stronger Cherokee communities."

Smith’s running mate Joe Grayson finished with 5,193 votes (38 percent) while Byrd’s running mate Gary Chapman came in second with 4,532 votes (33 percent). Grayson and Chapman will face each other in a runoff election on July 26.

Smith and Grayson ran on a platform of "Ga-Du-Gi - Peace, Pride and Progress". Ga-du-gi is the Cherokee word for working together to achieve a common goal. Smith is credited with helping bring peace back to the tribe in 1999 after two years of strife between Byrd - during his term as chief - council members and the tribe’s judicial system. During this campaign for chief, Smith said if elected he would continue to provide "an open, calm, accountable government."

Seven of the 12 people running for council on Chief Smith’s slate were elected. The two highest vote getters in districts with two seats were elected. Candidates in districts with one seat are required to participate in a runoff election if they do not receive 51 percent of the votes in their district.

In the District 1 council race, former councilman Bill John Baker was the top vote getter with 820 votes. Baker previously served on the council from 1995-1999. Audra Smoke-Conner, who was on the chief’s slate, finished second with 799 votes. In August they will fill the two seats in the Cherokee County district, currently held by former deputy chief John Ketcher and incumbent candidate Don Crittenden, who polled 559 votes and finished 5th among the 14 candidates for the two positions. Crittenden has served on the council a total of 23 years since 1976, except from 1987-1991 after running for deputy chief and losing. Ketcher did not seek re-election.

In District 2, Jackie Bob Martin, a member of Chief Smith’s slate, received 680 votes to finish on top in Adair County. S. Joe Crittenden finished second with 433 votes. Martin was one of the incumbents in the race to serve District 2, which has two seats. The other incumbent, Ralph Keen Jr., received 335 votes.

Only one incumbent in District 3 polled enough votes to stay in office. David Thornton Sr. received 573 votes to retain one of two seats in Sequoyah County. Smith slate candidate Phyllis Yargee finished first with 576 votes and replaces incumbent Mary Flute-Cooksey who got 466 votes.

Supporters of Principal Chief Chad Smith cheer at his election watch party after the announcement of election results that showed Smith had been re-elected with a majority of 52 percent. (Photo by Will Chavez)

District 4 incumbent Don Garvin, also running on Chief Smith’s slate, is in a runoff with opponent Calvin Rock. Garvin received 624 votes, 48 percent, to Rock’s 529 votes, 41 percent. The district includes the eastern portions of McIntosh, Muskogee and Wagoner Counties.

Linda Hughes O’Leary led the vote count in District 5 - Delaware county and part of Ottawa County - with 573. Melvina Shotpouch got 563 votes to finish second and to retain her seat. Incumbent Barbara Starr-Scott did not seek re-election.

District 6 voters in Mayes County cast 341 votes to keep incumbent Johnny Keener. Meredith Frailey was the top vote getter with 352 votes, which was enough to defeat the district’s other incumbent Stephanie Wickliffe-Shepherd who received 312 votes.

In District 7, Rogers County, Cara Cowan won decisively against incumbent Harold DeMoss. Cowan, who was also a part of Smith’s slate, received 614 votes, 66 percent, to DeMoss’s 311 votes, 34 percent.

Two candidates on Smith’s slate won in District 8 - Tulsa and Washington Counties. Incumbent Buel Anglen received 985 votes and William G "Bill" Johnson got 707 votes. The other incumbent, Nick Lay, finished last out of four candidates with 529 votes.

District 9 incumbent, Charles "Chuck" Hoskin, retains his seat in a race against Smith slate candidate and former councilor Robert McSpadden. Craig and Nowata County voters gave Hoskin 524 votes and McSpadden 397 votes.

The vote on the Constitutional Referendum was closer than expected. Cherokee citizens voted to remove the requirement of federal approval of any amendments to the tribe’s constitution or a new constitution of the Cherokee Nation. Officially, the referendum was voted in by a margin of 62 percent (6,996 votes) to 38 percent (4,218). During the runoff election on July 26 Cherokee voters will decide whether to ratify the 1999 constitution adopted during the tribe’s last constitutional convention or to retain the 1976 constitution.

Based on the votes for chief, of 32,482 registered voters, 13,914 voted in the election.