Belcourt, North Dakota (AP)

Voters on the Turtle Mountain Reservation have elected Ken Davis as the new Chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.

Results from the November tribal election showed Davis with 1,919 votes and Ron Peltier with 1,819 votes.

Davis, a former Bureau of Indian Affairs superintendent in Belcourt, was sworn in as chairman on Nov. 19, said Corey Lavallie, the tribal council’s administrative assistant.

Peltier was one of the top two finishers in the tribe’s October primary, but a court battle erupted over his candidacy. The dispute was whether an tribal constitutional amendment passed in the primary would bar Peltier from the ballot because he was convicted of a misdemeanor involving the improper use of tribal money about 20 years ago.

Peltier was allowed on the ballot, but a judge said he could not run for re-election in two years if he won.