Funds for special election are now the issue

Posted by Navajo Times | Dec 24, 2014 | Election 2014 |

By Bill Donovan
and Alastair Lee Bitsoi

WINDOW ROCK

As of early Tuesday afternoon, no date had been set as to when a special election for Navajo Nation President would be held, despite a Navajo Nation Supreme Court ruling that ordered the election to be held before Jan. 31, 2015.

Edison Wauneka, head of the Navajo Election Administration, said Tuesday that he was not sure he could comply with the court’s order since his office still had not been given any funds to hold the election.

The Navajo Nation Council was meeting on Tuesday as this issue of the Times was going to press one day early because of the Christmas holidays.

Wauneka was asking for $317,000 to hold the special election for president, with the funds needed to print ballots and pay for the poll judges.

He said that the printing company the tribe has used for years to print the ballots has refused to print them until they have a purchase order from the tribe and that won’t happen until the Council approves a supplemental allocation.