Chouteau County moves forward with new district election, airs some objections

A month after Chouteau County agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging it unlawfully diluted voting rights of Chippewa Cree Indians, the county said it will move forward with a new district election in June.

In a statement, Chouteau County also aired some objections it had raised in the case and outlined the way the settlement could play out.

The county said the approved settlement notes if the U.S. Supreme Court decides only the U.S. Department of Justice can bring a lawsuit under the disputed section of the Voting Rights Act, the settlement is vacated.

In the case, the Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and two Native American voters had alleged the county’s at-large voting system unlawfully diluted the voting strength of Native voters, and last month, the U.S. District Court of Montana approved the settlement.



https://dailymontanan.com/2026/01/09/chouteau-county-moves-forward-with-new-district-election-airs-some-objections/