Creek Nation Chief Re-elected By Narrow Margin

OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) -- Creek Nation chief A.D. Ellis was re-elected Saturday by a margin of only 21 votes. A.D. Ellis had 2,313 votes to challenger George Tiger's 2,292 votes, unofficial election

Sunday, November 4th 2007, 5:24 pm

By: News On 6

OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) -- Creek Nation chief A.D. Ellis was re-elected Saturday by a margin of only 21 votes. A.D. Ellis had 2,313 votes to challenger George Tiger's 2,292 votes, unofficial election results posted on the tribe's web site indicated. Ellis and Tiger qualified for a runoff among five candidates in the tribe's primary election on September 22.

Chief Ellis had led by nine votes before the challenge ballots were counted Saturday night, tribal officials said. Challenge ballots occur when tribal voters who may not have received an absentee ballot go into their precinct to cast a ballot, according to Creek
Nation election law.

One week is allowed for protests to be filed. Tiger said he would wait to decide if he will request a recount.

Ten seats for the 26-member council also were decided. Unofficial winners were Larry J. Cahwee, Adam Jones III, David Nichols, Keeper Johnson, Terrie Anderson, Carmin Tecumseh, Shirlene M. Ade, Ronald A. Cleghorn, Kara Medina and Johnnie Greene.

The term for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation chief is four years.