Natives protest challenge to rights
Claim new Arizona law discriminates
against rez residents

By Stan Bindell
For the Independent

PHOENIX — Native American tribal, community and state leaders gathered on the lawn of Arizona’s Capitol June 25 to protest that their petition to vote rights were being assaulted.
The petition signatures of some Native American voters was being challenged on the grounds that they used post office boxes during the collection of signatures for nominating petitions in state House and Senate races in Northern Arizona.

State laws call for those signing petitions to give physical addresses, but many Native Americans living on reservations do not have physical addresses.

Isidoro Lopez, vice chairwoman of the Tohono O’Odham Tribe, said in a news release that there is something inherently wrong that the voting rights of Native Americans still needs to be discussed today 60 years after Arizona Indians gained their right to vote.

“The consequences will be devastating and their impact will reverberate across Indian country,” she said.

Mary Kim Titla, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and a candidate for Congressional District 1, said a post office box is what Indians use to receive their bills and what they use to file their income taxes.

“It’s good enough for the IRS. It should be good enough for nominating petitions,” she said.

The nominating petitions challenge Navajo candidates Albert Tom and Chris Descheeny for the Arizona House. If these two candidates were disqualified for the race because of lack of valid signatures then their two opponents wouldn’t have any challengers except for write-in candidates.

In the Arizona Senate race, if incumbent Sen. Albert Hale was disqualified because of a lack of valid signatures then Royce Jenkins, a Hopi, would be unchallenged except for write-in candidates.

Arizona State Rep. Ben Miranda, who is also an attorney, said while the letter of the law is confusing because of contradicting court decisions in the past that the spirit of the law is intact.

Miranda said the spirit of the law is that people who sign petitions listed with a post office box should be included as valid signatures. He challenged the state Democratic Party to take a stand supporting the three challenged Navajo candidates and pay for their legal representation.

Maria Weeg, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party, said the Democratic Party stands with Hale, Tom and Descheeny.

Those present at the news conference to show support for the Navajo trio were state Rep. Pete Rios, state Rep. Steve Gallardo, state Rep. Tom Prezeleski, Arizona Advocacy Network Executive Director Linda Brown, Intertribal Council Executive Director John Lewis and community activist Annie Lloyd.