WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – Half of the candidates in the race to become the next chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes have been deemed ineligible according to the tribes' election board.

On Saturday, the Three Affiliated Tribes' election board released a list of qualified candidates for the September 16 primary election. Incumbent Tex Hall, tribe attorney Damon Williams, tribal tax director Mark Fox, New Town councilman Ken Hall and Mandaree councilman Randy Phelan all made the cut.

The two top vote getters in the Sept. 16 contest will go on to a general election on Nov. 4.

Those deemed ineligible include former tribal chairman Marcus Levings and the tribes' environmental director, Edmund Baker, who recently publicly challenged tribal leadership's version of events surrounding a 1 million gallon saltwater pipeline spill near the town of Mandaree. Doreen Lyons, Waylon Goodleft and Lane Vocu were also considered ineligible.

“They did not meet the requirements according to the ordinance, so they were deemed ineligible,” said Cheryle Good Bird, election board clerk. Good Bird did not elaborate on the specifics of why individual candidates were deemed ineligible.

According to the tribes' election ordinance, candidates can be deemed ineligible if they owe the tribe money, do not meet residence requirements, have a felony conviction, were dishonorably discharged from the military or do not meet a blood quantum requirement.

Lane Vocu said he was disqualified based on blood quantum. According to the tribes' election ordinance, tribal members must have 1/4 Mandan, Hidatsa and or Arikara blood. Vocu said “the idea of blood quantum is kind of ridiculous” as it deems thousands of tribal members ineligible for public office. Vocu, who was running on an environmental platform, said he plans to challenge the decision.

Goodleft, Lyons and Baker said they had not yet been notified as to why they were deemed ineligible. But all of them – and Vocu – said they saw their disqualification as an effort by tribal leadership to keep the election primarily between current or past members of what they consider to be a corrupt tribal business council.

Lyons accused the current tribal business council of influencing the election board.

“There's so much harassment by tribal council during this election right now,” she said. “People's rights are being violated and jobs threatened.”

The tribes' Fort Berthold Indian Reservation currently produces about a third of North Dakota's 1 million barrels of oil a day. The disqualified candidates held sharp views on how oil revenue was being managed, transparency in tribal government and, for some, the potential environmental impacts of oil development on the reservation.

Disqualified candidates have until Wednesday to challenge the election board's decision.

Tribal leadership did not immediately respond to requests for comment.