Apache County judge dismisses Navajo Nation’s lawsuit against county

Posted by Navajo Times | Nov 23, 2024 | News |

WINDOW ROCK

An Apache County judge on Friday, Nov. 22, dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Navajo Nation Department of Justice against Apache County. The lawsuit was about 175 Navajo voters who were given less than 24 hours to fix problems with their signatures on early ballots. The Navajo Nation’s lawsuit wanted to give these voters more time to correct their signatures.

The judge decided to dismiss the case after hearing that Apache County had made reasonable efforts to contact voters and help them fix their ballots. Based on this, the judge ruled that the county had done enough to try and help those voters.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren expressed disappointment in the ruling but said they will continue to work on improving elections in Apache County.

Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch said that the county’s actions in the 2024 election had unfairly affected Navajo voters.

“Apache County disenfranchised Navajo voters in the 2024 general election. Despite this ruling, we will not be deterred from holding Apache County accountable for honoring all Navajo votes in future elections,” Branch said.

Speaker Crystalyne Curley said she hopes Apache County will take responsibility for the mistakes made in the 2024 election and work with the Navajo Nation to protect voter rights.

The Navajo Nation Department of Justice will hold a second public meeting on Dec. 2, 2024, from 4-7 p.m. at the Fort Defiance Chapter House. This meeting will give Apache County voters in the Navajo Nation a chance to share their experiences from the 2024 election. If you can’t attend, you can also email your experience to general@nndoj.org.