Tohatchi Chapter meets to set date for presidential election

Tohatchi community member Dorothy Bitsilly urges voters Wednesday to wait until March 4 to elect a chapter president, giving potential candidates more time to present their ideas on community issues. [Photo by Matt Hinshaw/Independent]

By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Diné Bureau

TOHATCHI — It was a day of true democracy for Tohatchi community members.

For nearly two hours Wednesday afternoon, Tohatchi community members thoroughly discussed when and how would be best to elect a new chapter president. Eighty-three community members showed up at the meeting.

Normally, Edwin Begay, Interim Chapter House President and elected vice-president, said they usually only have a voting quorum of 25, but that a press release issued by the Speaker's Office late last week caused a stir among voters.

"People wanted to find out what was going on," he said. "As you saw, people were still pretty angry by the confusion."

The news release ran in a local paper last Thursday stated that an election for a new chapter house president was to take place the same day. The information stated, "According to council delegate Peterson Yazzie (Naschitti/Tohatchi), the voting will be a secret ballot, and Art Allison is running for chapter president (for Feb. 15)."

The published information caught chapter officials and community members off guard since there is a protocol for the Navajo Nation Election Administration to administer an election. Community members were upset, protesting that their voting rights were being violated, and were baffled as to why the notice announced a specific individual as the sole candidate.

In a letter to the Speaker's Office, Begay said there was at no time any commitment by the Tohatchi Chapter to host this election on Feb. 15, nor were any potential candidates discussed. The position for Chapter House President has been vacant since early January after former president Herman R. Morris (Tohatchi/Naschitti) was elected to the Council.

Concerned voters showed up prepared to make a decision on an election process. They finally came to a consensus, after nearly two hours of discussion, to have the election on March 4, with a vote of 44 to 4 in favor.

Some felt strongly that the election should take place at the meeting, arguing it would be best since there was a high number of voters present. Others argued that time was needed for possible nominees to announce their interest in the position, and give community members time to decide who they would vote for. There was then a motion to have nominations that day, and a vote on a later day, which a majority agreed would be best; however, according to the Navajo Nation law, it was not legal.

"What they wanted was going to be outside the election code," said Edison J. Wauneka, executive director for the Navajo Nation Elections Office. "The law doesn't allow that."

The chapter asked Wauneka to attend the meeting. He explained to full chapter house that carrying out the election on separate the days would open it up for a potential candidate to overthrow the election results.

Although the community came to a consensus to have a secret ballot vote on March 4, Begay is still disappointed that the Speaker's Office never answered his letter.

"They should at least have the courtesy to call us and apologize, and explain it's a misunderstanding," he said. "There's no explanation at this point."

No comments were made regarding the Speaker's Office's release by council delegates, by Peterson Yazzie and Herman Morris, who were both in attendance.

Four people unofficially announced their candidacy, including Larson Manuelito, Art Allison, Pernell Halona, and Caroline Tom.

Despite the commotion, some community members said they were glad everyone was getting involved in the process.

"This is a healthy discussion," said Manuelito. "We need to exercise our self-governance."

"It's something that's so important," he said. "Democracy is there for us to practice."

Voting for a new chapter president will take place at the Tohatchi Chapter House on March 4 at 10 a.m.