Coates's view was opposed during the convention by David Cornsilk who argued "Cherokee Nation is a real place, that it is here.
Other delegates advocated for allowing off-reservation citizens to choose a district inside the Cherokee Nation to vote.
[2] Coates first ran for the Cherokee Nation tribal council in 2007 against incumbent, and first, (unelected) at-large councilor Taylor Keen.
[5] During her first term, Coates opposed efforts to eliminate absentee voting in Cherokee Nation elections.
[12] The Cherokee Nation election commission ruled on March 20 that Coates was ineligible to run for the office because she was not domiciled within the Cherokee Nation for 270 days prior to the election and had in fact lived in Los Angeles part of that time.
[13] The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court issued a verbal ruling on April 13 upholding the election commission's decision, and released their written a week later.