Tahlequah, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court ordered the tribe’s election services to perform an immediate recount on Thursday, a count that could determine the contested race for Principal Chief.

The hearing was held after the challenger, Tribal Councilman Bill John Baker, had petitioned the court for an emergency injunction, Tuesday evening.

The results of the June 25th election have been hotly debated and it is still uncertain as to who will prevail. Both parties have already taken measures to protest the decision made at the end of Thursday’s recount.

Baker’s attorney said during Thursday’s hearing that Baker planned on appealing by the July 5 deadline if need be. The Smith campaign had already filed a conditional request for a recount before the official June 29 deadline.

The dispute in the chief election centers around a reported mistake that was made during the counting process. Officials said they initially misread a hand written figure on a tabulation sheet. Specifically, an election worker mistook a handwritten three, which was actually a five, said Terry Rainey, who was contracted to assist the Cherokee Nation Election Services.

The recount will be held in the election administration building and each campaign party will be allowed to have one representative in the room. The election commission, Cherokee Marshalls, and ballot counters will also be present during the recount.

The election administration is expected to reveal the recount results later Thursday evening.