Federal lawsuit alleges Blaine County election map shortchanges Native voters

Three Native American residents of Blaine County on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit against Blaine County, its commissioners, clerk and recorder and elections manager, alleging that the county commission election map “is unconstitutionally malapportioned” and dilutes the power of the Native vote.

Located in north-central Montana, Blaine County overlaps with the Fort Belknap Reservation. The county is home to more than 7,000 people, more than half of whom are Native American, according to U.S. Census Data. While tribes are sovereign political entities, municipal elections in overlapping jurisdictions can significantly affect Indian Country. County commissioners can approve or disapprove infrastructure projects, determine access to services like garbage disposal, water and health care, and influence public safety issues, among other things.  

The three plaintiffs, who are citizens of the Fort Belknap Aaniiih and Nakoda Tribes, allege that the way Blaine County Commission districts are drawn violates their right to equal protection. 

The plaintiffs, represented by the UCLA Voting Rights Project and Helena-based Upper Seven Law, are asking United States District Court in the District of Montana to declare the map unconstitutional, prohibit its use in future elections and require the county to equalize the districts. 

The Blaine County Board of Commissioners, clerk and recorder and elections manager are named as defendants. They did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Blaine County contains three commission districts. The“one-person, one vote” principle requires that each person’s voting power be apportioned equally within the districts.

Demographically, District 1 is majority-Native American, District 2 is majority-White and District 3 is described in the complaint as a “mix district” with Native and non-Native voters. 

Given Blaine County’s overall population, the lawsuit alleges that 2,390 is the appropriate population for each commission district. The complaint alleges that the majority-Native district is overpopulated, therefore diluting the relative power of the Native vote. 

“If the district populations were equalized, American Indians would likely be able to elect candidates of choice in two districts, rather than being packed into one district,” according to the complaint.

District 1 is currently home to 2,777 people, more than 16% higher than an equalized share, according to the complaint. District 2, the majority non-Native district, has a population of 2,098, less than an equal apportionment. And District 3, the mixed-population district, is home to 2,295 people, also less than equal.

“The excessive population deviation between districts is completely unnecessary and violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s one-person, one-vote requirement,” according to the complaint.

Sonni Waknin, senior voting rights counsel at the Voting Rights Project, an academic research center specializing in equitable and accessible voting, said in a statement that the county’s map “goes against the principles of our representative government.”

“The weight of a person’s vote should not depend on which side of a district line they live on,” Waknin said.

The lawsuit is the latest among several in Montana to challenge county commission voting systems. In 1986 several tribal plaintiffs sued Big Horn County, challenging at-large elections for the board of commissioners and school board. The case resulted in new school board and county commission district lines. In the following election, Big Horn County voters elected the county’s first Native American commissioner. 

In August 2025, the Chippewa Cree Tribe and two Native American voters sued Chouteau County and its board of commissioners, alleging the county’s election system diluted the influence of Native voters. Four months later, a federal court judge approved a settlement that created a majority-Native commission district.