Election board sets order of prez candidates, decides not to hear question on Shirley’s bid

Posted by Arlyssa Becenti | Jun 15, 2018 | Politics |

WINDOW ROCK

Navajo Times | Arlyssa Becenti
As Melvin Harrison, chairman of the Navajo Board of Election Supervisors, left, chuckles with board members and staff, board member Watona Kellywood picks a name from a box. The box was circulated around the table until all 18 slots were filled in with the names of candidates for president.

Now that 18 candidates for Navajo Nation president were certified Monday by the Navajo Election Administration, the next order of business was to draw the candidates’ names to determine in what order they will appear on the ballot.

During Thursday’s Navajo Board of Election Supervisors meeting, board members drew names, setting the positions for the candidates as they will appear on the ballot for the Aug. 28 Primary Election.

The order is as follows:

Benny Bahe
Russell Begaye
Tom Chee
Jonathan Nez
Calvin Lee Jr.
Joe Shirley Jr.
Vincent H. Yazzie
Rex Lee Jim
Norman Patrick Brown
Trudie Jackson
Shawn Redd
Alton Joe Sheperd
Emily Ellison
Tom Tso
Kevin Cody
Hope MacDonald Lonetree
Nick X. Taylor
Dineh Benally

One of the names, Lester Begay, of the 19 submitted for candidacy was ruled ineligible due to Begay having been recalled in 2014 as chapter president fo Tiis Tsoh Sikaad.

Also during the meeting, the supervisors questioned whether they should act on a letter from Eugene G. Atcitty that stated doubts about the validity of candidate Joe Shirley Jr.

The letter says since Shirley was president for two terms a third term would be against Navajo Nation Code. However, Melvin Harrison, chairman of the election board, said a candidate can only be challenged by another candidate.

If there is a question about Shirley’s candidacy, it is not within the board’s responsibility to deal with it, he said.

Navajo Times | Arlyssa Becenti
These are the names of the candidates for president in the order they will appear on the Primary Election ballot after the Navajo Board of Election Supervisors picked names at random from a box on Thursday. Melvin Harrison, chairman of the board, joked, “Let’s see how fast this is posted on Facebook.” “Already,” replied a member of the audience.

The supervisors decided not to hear from Atcitty, who was present at the meeting.

“They have no gall,” said Atcitty about the supervisor’s refusal to address the matter. “It’s just not fair and these guys (supervisors) saying it’s not their responsibility – it is.”

Working with Shirley’s campaign, Patrick Sandoval was also in attendance and said the group that Atcitty is affiliated with, the Diné Voters Rights Coalition, has always worked to disqualify or discredit Shirley’s attempt to run for office whether it is for president or the Apache County Board of Supervisors.

“The coalition are really coming out against Joe again,” said Sandoval. “They did it in the 2014 election and they did not do that with any other candidate. They came out against him for the election for Apache County supervisors and no other candidates. They’re doing it again.”

With one candidate taken out and a coalition working to take out another, the 2018 election for president is already off to an interesting start.

You can also listen to the candidates on Monday at Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint for the first of five presidential forums presented by the Navajo Times and Native Broadcast Enterprise. The event starts at 5:45 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.

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