CHOCTAW, Miss. — Former Chief Beasley Denson is contesting last week’s Mississippi Choctaw Indians’ runoff election.
Incumbent Chief Phyliss J. Anderson kept her position and is to be sworn in July 14, after narrowly defeating Denson by 162 votes. But Denson, in a formal complaint to the Tribal Election Committee, said there were, as the basis for his challenge, irregularities with absentee voting and even vote buying by Anderson . “I’m disappointed not only for myself, but nearly 50 percent of the people who supported me,” Denson said. “We will exhaust every means that we can to see if we can have a re-election.
Anderson, however, defended her campaign saying it was honest and it’s time to move on. The Tribal Election Committee can now either dismiss Denson’s complaint; acknowledge it has merit, but still reaffirm the election; or void the election and order a new one.
