Members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will vote on Tuesday, June 10, to elect members of the Choctaw Tribal Council to represent six communities located in the east-central part of the state. Voters will also decide on a referendum issue of marijuana decriminalization and the development of regulations regarding marijuana on tribal lands.
The unicameral Choctaw Tribal Council governs 33,000 acres of land, the tribe’s online profile says. Seventeen members from eight communities serve staggered four-year terms on the council, with elections every two years. The tribe also holds tribal chief elections every four years. This year, nine seats are up for re-election and the other eight seats, along with the tribal chief, will be up for election in 2027.
The tribal chief chairs the quarterly tribal council meetings. Once the voters elect the representatives in June and they are seated in July, barring any challenges or runoffs that must be resolved within 30 days, the newly convened council will select the offices of vice-chief, secretary-treasurer and chair of committee systems from among its members. Tribal Council Members Ronnie Henry and Angela Hundley from the Neshoba County community of Bogue Chitto currently serve as vice-chief and committee systems chair, respectively, while Crystal Ridge Council Member Christopher Eaves of Winston County serves as Secretary-Treasurer.
Requirements for Candidates
The Tribal Election Committee oversees the election process. Its members vet the candidates and ensure they meet the requirements for tribal council candidacy. Choctaw Constitution Article IV § 5, says candidates must be 21, have no felonies, have obtained a high school diploma or GED equivalent, have resided for at least in the community they intend to represent for at least six months before the election, and must secure endorsement-signatures from at least 10 registered voters from their communities. This last requirement does not apply to the two smallest communities, Crystal Ridge in Winston County and Bogue Homa in Jones County.
Where to Vote
The voting booths in each community will be held at their community’s CERF building.
- Bogue Chitto CERF is located on Big Creek Circle, Philadelphia, Miss.
- Henning CERF is located near 1230 Highway 87 W, Henning, Tenn. (Henning’s tallies will count separately and eventually be added to Bogue Chitto’s overall total)
- Crystal Ridge CERF is located off Joe Wray Rd., Preston, Miss.
- Conehatta CERF is located at 374 Campus Dr., Conehatta, Miss.
- Pearl River CERF is located on Industrial Rd., Philadelphia, Miss.
- Standing Pine CERF is located at the elementary school campus, 538 Highway 487, Carthage, Miss.
- Tucker CERF is located at the old school campus, Highway 19 S, Philadelphia, Miss.
The communities that are not voting for a tribal council representative this cycle, but are still able to vote on the Marijuana Referendum 2025-01 are at the following locations:
- Red Water CERF is located on Red Water Rd. off Highway 35 N, Carthage, Miss.
- Bogue Homa CERF is located on Tomechi Anowa Dr., Heidelberg, Miss.
The Candidates
In April, the TEC released the official candidate list for the 2025 election. Forty-nine candidates are running for nine positions in six tribal communities. Some communities with three representatives elect two this year and will elect their third two years later.
The Mississippi Free Press offered candidates the opportunity to respond to a questionnaire about their views on issues facing community members. Responses from those who responded are linked in the lists below.
The list of candidates for positions on the ballot this year is below. Incumbents are denoted with an asterisk.*
Bogue Chitto Community, Neshoba County: 3 Representatives, 2 positions
Kendrick Bell
Jeremiah Harrison
Kinsey Henry
Angela Hundley* (also serves as committee systems chair)
Randy Jim
Natasha John
Jamion Johnson
Davita McClelland
Jackson Thompson, Jr.
Kendall Wallace*
Kenneth Wallace
Treundes Willis
Bogue Chitto Tribal Council Member Ronnie Henry is the vice-chief and his position will be up in 2027.
Conehatta Community, Newton County: 3 Representatives, 2 Positions
Max Anderson
Tarina Anderson
Trinesa Barojas
Emerson Billy
Hannah Charlie
Shaun Grant
Jeron Johnson
Hilda Nickey*
Gregory Shoemake*
Crystal Ridge Community, Winston County: 1 Representative, 1 Position
Christopher Eaves* (also serves as the secretary-treasurer)
Alexander Hickman
Rosa Kanagy
Tim Willis
Pearl River Community (headquarters), Neshoba County: 3 Representatives, 2 Positions
Collins Billy, Jr.
Robert Briscoe
Mindy Davis
Asa Jimmie
Speedy X. Lewis
Deborah Martin*
Robert Martin
Lola Parkerson
Benjamin Stephens
Nickolas Stephens
Jerod Thompson
Austin Tubby
Shelley Tubby
Kent Wesley*
Standing Pine Community- Leake County – 2 Representatives; 1 position
Betty Allen
Louie Charlie
Lalaina Denson
Benjamin Farve
Ashley Primer
Jalen Tangle
Incumbent Loriann Ahshapanek is not running for re-election.
Tucker Community – Neshoba County – 2 Representatives; 1 position
Autumn McMillan
Demando Mingo*
Eric Nickey
Layla Taylor
The communities of Red Water (Leake County, two representatives) and Bogue Homa (Jones County, one representative) do not vote during midterms; their representatives’ terms end in chief election years, with the next being in 2027. However, this year, all communities will be going to the polls due to the marijuana referendum issue.
Registering to Vote
Voter registration is open year-round at the tribal election office in Pearl River. The Tribal Election Council also holds voter registration drives in each community. However, voters must register 30 days before an election. The deadline to register for the June 10 election was Friday, May 9, 2025, at 5:00 pm.
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