Oct 2, 2025

WRAP-UP: 2025 GENERAL COUNCIL & ELECTION WEEKEND

The Shawnee Tribe’s 2025 General Council & Election Weekend included a community dinner and stomp dance, as well as the annual meeting of the Shawnee Tribal Council and Business Council election. Citizens had the opportunity to meet tribal service programs & administrative staff, collect raffle prizes, and hear reports on the past twelve months of happenings of the tribe.

2025 Election

The absentee voting process began in April and closed on Thursday, September 18. Early in-person voting took place on Friday, September 19 from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and the polls were open on election day from 8:00 to 11:00 AM. Citizens who voted in person received a “niila nikitateniwe (I Voted)” sticker.

Business Council Election results were announced during the tribal council meeting by Election Committee Chairperson, Cindy Witherspoon. The results were uncontested. They are posted at the Shawnee governmental buildings for thirty days and will be permanently filed in the Shawnee Tribal Court Clerk’s office. A copy of the Certified Consolidated Election Return has been mailed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Unofficial Election Results
  • Business Council Seat 6 (4-year term)
    • Melinda Sue Kimball — 12.5%
    • Malachi Michael Sears — 41%
    • Marty Wayne Coombes — 7%
    • Sonya Kay Baldridge — 19%
    • Jana Elise Edwards-Johnson — 20.5%
  • The following two races were unopposed. At the conclusion of the candidate filing period, these individuals were declared the winners and did not appear on the ballot.
    • Second Chief, 4-year term — Roy Baldridge (I)
    • Business Council Seat 5, 4-year term — Monty W. Coombes (I)
Looking Ahead
  • The 2026 Annual General Council Meeting and Business Council Election is set for next September 18-19, 2026.
  • Stay tuned for the candidate filing period for the 2025 Business Council Election. 

A special thank you goes out to the Election Committee for their hard work, and to our cooks who provided a delicious meal on Friday evening before the Stomp Dance, our lunch catering after the tribal council meeting on Saturday, and our tribal staff for all their work setting up and breaking down the event venues. —niyaawe!

WATCH the 2025 General Council Slideshow

VIEW Photos from 2025 General Council Weekend

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