The Navajo Nation Department of Justice has filed its second lawsuit against Apache County, Arizona, since Election Day. The lawsuit was filed Nov. 12 after learning of delays in processing early votes for the 2024 general election.
“This is not the first time we have seen this type of problem in Apache County. Sadly, this is a pattern of disenfranchisement that continues in past elections,” said Chairwoman Crystaline Curley. “The Navajo Nation will continue to fight for our voters and hold Apache County accountable until every Navajo voice is heard and every vote is counted.”
The first lawsuit filed on Election Day asked Navajo voters in Apache County to be given an additional two hours to vote after ballots malfunctioned at several polling places. The second lawsuit seeks to extend the deadline for voters to correct signature discrepancies on early ballots.
Voters originally had until 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, to resolve the signature issue, but on Nov. 9, the Navajo Nation Department of Justice announced that Apache County would have 5 p.m. It was discovered that the processing of early voting had been suspended until the 8th. 143 Navajo ballots required signature verification, and as of 5:20 p.m. Nov. 9, Apache County still had 900 outstanding early ballots.
Affected voters have just 48 hours to notify and correct their ballots, and many voters face limited cell phone service, limited internet access, and long commutes to the Apache County Recorder’s Office in St. John’s. faced barriers such as travel distance; The compressed schedule made it difficult for voters to receive timely notifications and take necessary actions.
“The Navajo voice and vote is powerful,” said Congressional Delegate Carl R. Slater, who volunteered as Apache County’s poll watcher during the general election. “We have the power to influence local, state and national elections. When our voices are silenced through delays and disenfranchisement, not just our tribes, but Native American voting power as a whole is compromised. We don’t support it because it weakens it.”
In addition to these delays, many Navajo voters had difficulty getting to the recorder’s office during the election period. By the afternoon of Nov. 9, the Arizona Secretary of State’s website still showed their ballots had not arrived in Apache County, and they had not yet received a phone call confirming their vote had been counted. Many were sent.
Volunteer efforts on Nov. 10 helped 21 voters resolve issues with their ballots, but approximately 40 people reported not being notified of signature discrepancies.
To give Navajo voters more time to correct signature discrepancies, the Navajo Nation filed a court brief on Sunday, Nov. 10, in support of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU and United Latin American Citizens League. submitted. The lawsuit, filed in the Arizona Supreme Court, extends the deadline for holding ballots beyond November 10, saying more than 250,000 ballots remained outstanding across the state as of November 8. I was looking for something to do. However, the Arizona Supreme Court refused the extension.
In response to this decision, the Navajo Nation filed its own lawsuit on November 12th, demanding that the election results be certified until Navajo voters have had sufficient notice and time to address ballot signature issues. He asked Apache County to delay it.
— Native News Online
