Unfilled seats, stalled hearings: Navajo Nation faces leadership gaps
WINDOW ROCK
Nine months after the Nov. 5 general elections, key tribal seats remain unfilled across the Navajo Nation.
The Navajo Board of Election Supervisors has extended the filing period for vacant chapter and school board positions after the July 29 special election, while unresolved disputes at the Navajo Nation Office of Hearings and Appeals continue to stall candidate grievances.
The extension, approved Aug. 12 under Resolution BOESAU-46-25, reopened filing from Aug. 13 through Aug. 26. The resolution cites the Navajo Election Code, which allows the board to extend deadlines when no candidates file by the required date. Board chair Norman L. Begay certified the resolution after a unanimous vote. Candidate packets were available at local election offices, with a $200 filing fee.
Veronica Curley, the interim executive director of the Navajo Election Administration, said special elections are critical to keeping local government running.
“Special elections are necessary to fill vacant seats that are critical to the functioning of our chapters and schools,” Curley said. “Without representation, important decisions that impact the community cannot move forward.”
She said her office had just wrapped up the July 29 election and was preparing for the next.
“Actually, our next one is scheduled for August 26,” she said. “We just got done with the July 29.”
To read the full article, please see the Aug. 28, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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