Navajos can vote in Phoenix, Albuquerque this weekend

Early voting in the Navajo Nation election will take place over the next two days, Oct. 22 and 23, in Phoenix and Albuquerque, following approval by the Navajo Board of Election Supervisors on Oct. 15.

In Phoenix the polls will be open Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Phoenix Indian Center (4520 N. Central Ave.).

In Albuquerque voting will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the National Indian Youth Council (318 Elm St.).

"That's the only two locations this year," said Johnny R. Thompson, deputy director of the Navajo Election Administration.

In addition to early voting, absentee voters who have already received their ballots can drop them off at the urban polling places, Thompson said.

Off-reservation polling "is for the hardship Navajos," he said. "They may have jobs, but they may not be able to afford to come back up here on voting day."

Freddie Johnson, cultural specialist with the Phoenix Indian Center and Navajo voting liaison, said he is thankful the election office is offering a local polling place.

"It's really helpful," he said.

He added that the Phoenix Indian Center always tries to have polling places for Navajos during major elections, the last of which was the vote to reduce the Navajo Nation Council to 24 delegates.

Thompson said Phoenix averages about 400 voters casting ballots at its polling place, but didn't know how many Navajos in the metro area are registered to vote in tribal elections.

Johnson also did not know the number of registered voters but said an estimated 25,000 and 30,000 Navajos live in the Phoenix area.

Norman Ration, executive director for National Indian Youth Council, estimated about 26,000 Navajo live in the Albuquerque area and average about 150 voters when polls are available in the city.

Both Johnson and Ration said ideally they would like more advance notice to in order to reach voters in the city, but Ration was understanding about the difficulty facing the election office due to legal challenges against this year's ballot.

Ration said ideally he'd like to have four to six weeks to give people notice of the polling days.

Thompson said he has seen requests for off-site polling from Navajos in Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, but the election office did not have enough money to send staff to those places to conduct the polling.

He added that when they do have voting off the reservation, the requesting parties are asked to help absorb some of the costs relating to travel.

Thompson estimated that it costs about $1,000 a day for the Navajo Election Administration to set up polling places off the reservation.

Johnson said his organization pays for the poll workers' hotel and lunches when they come to Phoenix, while Ration said his office provides meals for the workers.

Johnson also has experience as a voter traveling seven hours to vote in his home chapter.

He is originally from Rock Point, Ariz., and his wife is from Shiprock. He said they once logged more than 1,000 miles to vote in an election.

"One time we did log the miles. It's 378 miles to my home chapter," he said, joking that the hours of travel are dictated by the number of family members who make the trip and the number of stops they make.

But in the end, Thompson knows it's about the providing Navajo voters a chance to have their voice heard.

"They check you off, give you your ballot, you vote and be on your way happily after," he said.

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