--- title: Midterm 2014: Tiny North Dakota Election Could Have Big Oil Impact description: A group of American Indian voters in North Dakota are charting the course of the oil industry in the state canonical: https://time.com/3556227/midterm-election-north-dakota-oil/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-04T17:05:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:47.323Z article:section: Politics og:title: This Tiny Election Could Have a Big Impact on the Oil Industry og:description: A small group of North Dakota voters will shape the future of the state's oil industry og:url: https://time.com/3556227/midterm-election-north-dakota-oil/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7aa6dff11c719ebe/6987640655a859bbf9a83913/election-indian-reservation-native-americans-oil-north-dakota-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Jesse Bear climbs over a corral fence to train a horse on the ranch owned by his father, a Three Affiliated Tribes member, just off the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Tiny Election Could Have a Big Impact on the Oil Industry twitter:description: A small group of North Dakota voters will shape the future of the state's oil industry twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7aa6dff11c719ebe/6987640655a859bbf9a83913/election-indian-reservation-native-americans-oil-north-dakota-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Tiny Election Could Have a Big Impact on the Oil Industry > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=cc4c4094-c636-4db4-afc3-6837c8ac6a7b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/) and [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) Nov 4, 2014 5:05 PM UTC  Jesse Bear climbs over a corral fence to train a horse on the ranch owned by his father, a Three Affiliated Tribes member, just off the the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Jesse Bear climbs over a corral fence to train a horse on the ranch owned by his father, a Three Affiliated Tribes member, just off the the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/) and [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) Nov 4, 2014 5:05 PM UTC As millions of voters across the country weigh in on issues like abortion and marijuana legalization, a new [report](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/03/us-north-dakota-reservation-insight-idUSKBN0IN0AR20141103) documents how a small group of American Indian voters deep in the plains of North Dakota are determining the future of an entirely different issue—the course of the state’s oil industry. Members of the Three Affiliated Tribes of Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation are electing a new tribal chairman, and both candidates promise new regulations that will make business tougher for the oil industry there. The tribal chairman exercises considerable influence on the state’s oil industry, which produces more oil than any state except Texas, according to Reuters. MHA controls a third of that production. The two most pressing issues for the candidates, attorney Damon Williams and tax director Mark Fox, are protecting the environment and ensuring that oil revenue supports members of the tribes. Despite collecting hundreds of millions of dollars in oil tax revenue, the tribe still lacks some basic services. “The oil money is our buffalo,” Williams said. “And one of these days, the buffalo will move on.” [Read the full story from _Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/03/us-north-dakota-reservation-insight-idUSKBN0IN0AR20141103).  Three Affiliated Tribes council chairman candidate Mark Fox delivers signs to a supporter's house on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  A drill rig abuts farmland on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  Jesse Bear climbs over a corral fence to train a horse on the ranch owned by his father, a Three Affiliated Tribes member, just off the the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  Flares and lights from oil wells dot the horizon over the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  A flare and pump jacks are seen at an oil well on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  Oil field traffic passes a campaign sign for Three Affiliated Tribes council chairman candidate Damon Williams in New Town on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  A housing development for members of the Three Affiliated Tribes under construction in New Town on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  A bumper sticker stating "I'm Indian and I vote" adorns a car on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  Jesse Bear (L) and his father, Sonny James Bear, Three Affiliated Tribes members, drink coffee over the campfire during a break from training horses on their ranch just off the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  Supporters serve themselves from a buffet during a campaign dinner for Three Affiliated Tribes council chairman candidate Damon Williams on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  Three Affiliated Tribes council chairman candidate Damon Williams (C), speaks to supporters during a campaign dinner on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. Andrew Cullen—Reuters  Oil field traffic winds through New Town at dawn on the Fort Berthold Reservation in N.D. on Nov. 1, 2014. 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