Author: Donovan Quintero

Fifteen years after Navajo voters cut the Navajo Nation Council from 88 delegates to 24, the tribe is again debating how many lawmakers should serve 110 chapters, and whether the Nation can afford a larger government.

When the cement dried and the welcome sign flickered to life for the brand new 83-room facility in early spring, little did key figures in the development of the new hotel in Shonto know that “coming soon” would stretch until spring 2026.

Nearly three years after a presidential recount shook Navajo Nation politics and exposed gaps in ballot handling, voter access and election procedures, former presidential candidates say little has changed. They see few signs that systemic problems have been corrected. And they worry the 2026 election cycle will again test confidence in the tribal democratic process

The Navajo Nation Supreme Court took its courtroom beyond the Navajo Nation in October and into one of the most influential law schools in the country, where the justices heard oral arguments before a packed auditorium at UC Berkeley Law.

Under an outdoor pavilion at the Little Colorado River Gorge Overlook in early November, Crystal Tulley-Cordova asked the group gathered there to think beyond what could be seen from the site.