An incident involving an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper ticketing a tribal citizen with a current Otoe-Missouria Tribe license plate for failing to pay state taxes has sparked controversy and accusations of increasing hostility toward Native Americans by Governor Kevin Stitt. The tribal citizen, Crystal Deroin, was ticketed for speeding near Enid and received an additional citation for failure to pay state motor vehicle taxes because she did not live on tribal land.
The chairman of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, John Shotton, expressed his dismay at the sudden change in the state’s position regarding tribal tags, stating that there was no prior notice or consultation with the tribes that operate vehicle tag registration. In Oklahoma, most drivers pay motor vehicle taxes through the renewal of state license plates, but Native American tribes headquartered in the state also issue special tribal license plates to their citizens based on a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court decision. This decision stated that the state does not have the authority to tax tribal citizens residing in Indian Country.
According to an Oklahoma Department of Public Safety spokeswoman, the 1993 ruling specifies that tribal tags can only be used by Indians who reside and principally garage their vehicles in the tribe’s Indian country. In Deroin’s case, she lives near Enid, which is about 45 miles away from the Otoe-Missouria’s headquarters. However, three other tribes in Oklahoma, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations, have separate agreements with the state that allow their citizens to use tribal tags regardless of where they live.
The Department of Public Safety emphasized that all Oklahomans, except under these specific circumstances, must register their vehicles with an Oklahoma tag and registration. Failure to do so can result in enforcement under the Oklahoma Vehicle License and Registration Act, including a misdemeanor citation and impoundment of the vehicle.
While the Department of Public Safety claims that the law has been in place and enforced since the 1990s, many tribal leaders dispute this and attribute the change to the Stitt administration. Governor Stitt, who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, expressed concerns about tribal governments not sharing vehicle registration information with the Department of Public Safety, which he views as a public safety issue. He assured that members of tribes with valid compacts with the state would not be ticketed.
Governor Stitt has faced growing tension with tribal nations in Oklahoma, stemming from a dispute over tribal casinos in 2019, which resulted in a federal court ruling in favor of the tribes. This year, the conflict escalated further in the Republican-controlled Legislature, where the governor’s veto of a bill to extend agreements on tribal sales of tobacco was overridden. Stitt’s approach to tribal sovereignty has drawn criticism, even from fellow Republicans, as it affects the vital economic contributions of tribes to the state, particularly in rural areas.
Earlier this year, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat criticized Stitt’s decision not to renew tribal hunting and fishing compacts, stating that it has cost the state $35 million. Stitt defended his stance, arguing that the compacts were unfair because tribal citizens could purchase licenses at a lower rate.
