- Details
- By Levi Rickert
Native Vote 2024. WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – A superior court judge in Apache County, Arizona on Tuesday evening granted a motion by the Navajo Nation to extend voting by two hours until 9 p.m.
Apache County Superior Court Judge Michael Latham tonight granted the request after the Navajo Nation filed a complaint in the Superior Court of the State of Arizona against Apache County, seeking an emergency extension of polling hours by two hours because of technical difficulties impacting voting on the Navajo Reservation.
The judge ordered polling places at Lukachukai, Lupton, Rock Point, Cottonwood, St. Michaels, Wheatfields, Dennehotso, Fort Defiance and Chinle to accept Navajo voters for an additional two hours.
The complaint cited Navajo voters being denied the right to vote due to malfunctioning machines, lack of printed ballots, long lines, lack of provisional ballots, being turned away due to long lines, improperly being turned away for providing adequate state identification cards, and polls not being operational or open during posted voting hours.
“The court will order that those polling locations remain open for an additional two hours but only those polling locations because those were the polling locations that the court received evidence specifically supported by documentation,” Judge Latham ruled.
He said the decision was in regard specifically to the lack of preprinted ballots as well as a lack of necessary machines to allow people to vote.
He said the county must designate individuals who come into line after 7:00 p.m. to vote have those ballots treated as provisional ballots and be sequestered either in an envelope or box. He said that is necessary so a poll worker at that polling locations can verify under oath that those are votes that came in after the legal timeline.
“Navajo people represent a powerful voting base and we’ve demonstrated in the past that we can change the outcome of state and federal elections. Today’s issues in Apache County are very troubling, but our Navajo voters should not be discouraged. We have to make our voices heard and ensure that our votes count,” Navajo Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley said. “We strongly urge the Apache County court and officials to support our request for an extension of voting hours to prevent the disenfranchisement of Navajo voters.”
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