Council sets new dates for presidential election

Posted by Bill Donovan | Jan 8, 2015 | Election 2014 |

WINDOW ROCK

Edison Wauneka

While the Joe Shirley Jr. and Russell Begaye camps are still pushing to have the special election for tribal president in January, the Navajo Nation Council, in its final act during a Dec. 30 special session, had other ideas.

The council voted Dec. 30 to just throw out the election held in 2014 completely, and start over again in 2015 with a primary to be held on June 2 and a special general election to be held August 4.

As it stood on Wednesday, there were no plans to hold the special election in January, despite a Navajo Supreme Court ruling that instructed tribal election officials to hold the election by the end of the month.

Joe Shirley Jr.

The resolution approved by the council still had not been signed off by Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly as of noon Wednesday, and the Shirley and Begaye camps were waiting to see what he did before going ahead and taking the matter once again to the supreme court.

The council last week approved a whole new set of deadlines for the holding of the special elections this summer, as well as setting up procedures for those who ran in last August’s primary, including Chris Deschene, to file for the office again without having to pay a new filing fee.

Anyone else who wanted to run, however, would have to pay the filing fee.

Ben Shelly

If Shelly vetoes the legislation, Edison Wauneka, the director of the election office, could find himself in hot water from the supreme court for not following the court’s directives to hold the election in January.

But, Wauneka said, he could not follow the order because the council had not appropriated the $318,000 needed to pay for the printing of the ballots and pay for poll judges. Until that happens, he said his hands are tied.

The council delegates realized that by refusing last week to appropriate any monies to hold the election meant it would not occur this month, as the high court ordered. Instead, council members directed the matter to the next session of the council that takes office on January 13.

Chris Deschene

Shirley and Begaye are continuing to campaign but they are also talking about filing an injunction before the supreme court if Shelly signs off on the council resolution to get the court to stop any talk of a new primary and have the election held as soon as possible with only Shirley and Begaye as the candidates.

Both sides are arguing that stopping the election and starting over again violates their rights. Shirley so far has spent tens of thousands of dollars on his campaign and Begaye has spent thousands.

One of the legal arguments they have at their disposal, said David Jordan, who represented Begaye in his fight to stay on the ballot, are laws that prohibit governments from changing the rules for an election in mid-stream and deciding to hold another election if they don’t like the outcome the first time around.