Jobs, housing and rising costs shape votes in Jeddito
Special to the Times | Donovan Quintero
Loretta Yellowhair, left, and her daughter, Melina Tiffany Yellowhair, pose
for a photo after casting their ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3, in Jeddito, Ariz.
JEDDITO, Ariz.
Loretta Yellowhair considered not voting this year until her daughter, Melina Tiffany Yellowhair, told her she was coming home to cast her ballot.
On Tuesday, the two drove from Phoenix to vote at the Jeddito Chapter House, where congressional candidate Jonathan Nez stopped to meet voters.
Melina is from Steamboat, Ariz., but votes in Jeddito, where her father’s family lives. She moved to Phoenix nine years ago after struggling to find work on the Navajo Nation. She now works as a workforce coordinator at the Phoenix Indian Center.
“Jobs and housing,” she said. “That’s the only reason why I’m not here.”
Melina, a single mother of three, sometimes pays more than $2,000 a month in rent. She hopes to move home in 10 to 12 years, but her mother’s experience has shown her how difficult that could be.
To read the full article, please see the Nov. 5, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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