Tribe to Elect New Chair Tuesday
Voters on the Fort Berthold Reservation will choose between two candidates for chair of the Three Affiliated Tribes in the November 3 election.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Elections
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Darwin D. (David) Williams and Fred Fox are running to be chair of the Three Affiliated Tribes, with voting on the reservation scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Robert White and Yvette Young Bear are also competing in a runoff for a Four Bears segment business council seat.
Why it matters
The chair will lead the Three Affiliated Tribes, which are engaged in an ongoing legal dispute with North Dakota over mineral rights under the Missouri River bed. The outcome will shape the tribe's direction on that dispute and on its other business interests.
Voting for chair and the Four Bears runoff takes place Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at polling locations in each of the six tribal segments. Fox has represented White Shield on the business council for 14 years, while the results remain unknown until they are posted Tuesday night.
The players
Darwin D. (David) Williams
Williams is a candidate for chair of the Three Affiliated Tribes and grew up in the New Town area before helping launch an oilfield business.
Fred Fox
Fox is a candidate for chair of the Three Affiliated Tribes, a Navy veteran, and a lifelong resident of the Fort Berthold Reservation who has served on the business council since 2012.
Three Affiliated Tribes
The Three Affiliated Tribes, also known as the MHA Nation, are the federally recognized tribe whose members live on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota.
The details
Williams grew up in the New Town area and helped launch an oilfield business in the 2010s before retiring from it a few years later. Fox is a Navy veteran and lifelong Fort Berthold Reservation resident who has represented White Shield on the business council since 2012. Mark Fox chose not to seek reelection as chair.
Timeline
2010s: Williams helps launch an oilfield business before retiring from it a few years later.
2012: Fox begins representing White Shield on the tribe's business council.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Reservation voting for chair and the Four Bears business council runoff.
Tuesday night, November 3, 2026: Election results expected to be posted.
Political Context
The tribe's leadership will be decided as its long-running legal dispute with North Dakota over mineral rights under the Missouri River bed remains unresolved. The chair elected Tuesday will steer the tribe's position in that contest and in its other business dealings, including its purchase of real estate in Las Vegas.
Reservation voters must cast ballots at their segment's polling location by 7 p.m. Tuesday to take part in choosing the next chair and the Four Bears business council runoff winner. The results will determine who represents the tribe in its ongoing mineral rights dispute with North Dakota.
The takeaway
Voters who want to take part should confirm their segment's polling location before Tuesday's 7 p.m. close, since the chair and runoff results will shape the tribe's direction in its long-running legal dispute with the state.
What happens next
Election results from the Fort Berthold Reservation are expected to be posted Tuesday night, November 3, 2026, following the close of polls at 7 p.m.
Further reading
For more on the state's political races, see Elections coverage for North Dakota.
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