ManitobaBallot counting in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation’s election for chief and council was halted Thursday night after the electoral officer abruptly stopped the process and left, citing safety concerns. On Friday, elders appointed a new electoral officer and ordered counting to resume that afternoon. Electoral officer walked out on Thursday citing safety concernsChelsea Kemp · CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2025 7:07 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Sioux Valley Dakota Nation community members wait for elders to decide on how to proceed with the election after the process was disrupted by threats of violence on Thursday. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)Ballot counting resumed in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation’s election for chief and council on Friday after it was halted Thursday night when the electoral officer abruptly stopped the process and left, citing safety concerns.Elders appointed a new electoral officer on Friday and ordered counting to resume. The ballots are now currently being counted and can be viewed on a livestream on the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation youtube.Election results are expected this evening.Community member Teresa McKay says the chaos around the election has left people upset.“I’ve never seen it get to this point,” McKay said. “We’re all … trying to make sure that it’s done legally, trying to do what the community wants, trying to keep the community informed. We’re doing the best that we can.”She says tensions flared when officials decided to close the count to the general public, although a livestream remained available. McKay says community members were frustrated because the community has historically held open counts.Sioux Valley Dakota Nation community member Jonah Wacanta says the decision lies with the community’s elders.“We’re going to count the ballots and our Oyate [Dakota for community] is going to do it together,”Wacanta said.The pause has heightened tensions in the community, with RCMP confirming police were called after a threat was made toward an election official. The allegation remains unsubstantiated and no arrests have been made.RCMP say they were in regular contact with First Nation’s safety officers who were on site as ballots were counted.Officers were called in around 8:30 p.m. Thursday after the threat was reported, attending to ensure the safety of the electoral official as they left the community.No weapons were reported and no damage occurred at the voting location, but police said they continue to investigate.McKay says First Nations security officers remained on-site while she was there, and she felt the election office was safe. Her frustration stems from being unable to contact the former election officer.CBC attempted to contact the election officer, Burke Ratté, but did not receive a response.McKay says ballot boxes were removed and placed in the Sioux Valley governance office until a decision was made. Include on the ballot are former chief Jennifer Bone and Vincent Tacan, who was charged in connection with a 1984 assault by RCMP on Nov. 10.Indigenous Services Canada told CBC in an prepared statement that Sioux Valley Dakota Nation elects its leadership using a custom electoral system, rather than following the federal Indian Act.That means the department has no role in how leaders are selected or how governance disputes are resolved. It only records leadership changes once the First Nation provides them. “When a governance dispute arises concerning a custom leadership selection issue, it can be resolved through processes in their election selection process, or through the courts,” the email said.ABOUT THE AUTHORChelsea Kemp is a multimedia journalist with CBC Manitoba. She is based in CBC’s bureau in Brandon, covering stories focused on rural Manitoba. Share your story ideas, tips and feedback with chelsea.kemp@cbc.ca.
Vote count resumes in Sioux Valley Dakota nation
