More than 300 Navajos gathered this past week in West Jordan City Park to register to vote in the Aug. 7 Navajo Nation 1990 Primary Election.
They will help choose candidates for the office of chairman of the Navajo Nation, the country's largest Indian tribe.On June 11, nomination meetings will be held for the positions of Navajo Nation Council delegates throughout the 109 certified chapters, registration officials said. The deadline for nominations is June 14.
Registration efforts for the primary and general elections will end July 8 and Oct. 7, respectively.
Peterson Zah - former Navajo tribal chairman who is running against 14 other candidates, including ousted Chairman Peter MacDonald - said the registration effort has been gratifying.
Zah said the upcoming election is important since the tribe has been seriously damaged by the controversy involving MacDonald, who was accused of taking kickbacks in tribe transactions and was acquitted in 1977 of federal fraud and income-tax-evasion charges.
The embattled former Navajo leader was also accused of profiting from kickbacks in various official Navajo transactions, including the $33.4 million purchase of the Big Boquillas Ranch. MacDonald had to leave his post prematurely, and an interim chairman has been leading the tribe.
Zah said if he's elected he will bring order into tribal government. In his native Navajo, Zah spoke to the crowd about the desperate economic conditions affecting the 200,000-member Indian tribe. Per-capita Indian income is about $2,400 annually, well under the poverty line, he said.
The registration effort, held Thursday, was sponsored by the Intermountain Navajo Association, a non-profit organization that represents urban Navajos.
Zah said he is encouraged by the number of Indian leaders who are running for chairman in the election. "It's the highest number we've had," he said.
"Over the years, one lesson we have learned is that you do not know leaders by what they say. You know them by their character and by searching their hearts. I am here before you because I know I can do the job," Zah told the crowd.
INA Board Member Albert Tinhorn said the outcome of the primary election will determine whether issues such as lack of health care, education and high unemployment rates are addressed properly.
"Many of us are underrepresented," Tinhorn said. "Those of us outside the reservation need help too."
INA Chairwoman Lady Bird Jack said the tribe needs a leader who will increase morale and address the key issues affecting the tribe.
Elise Morgan, who registered to vote, said, "We're pushing this registration effort because we want them to get out to vote so they can have full representation. We want our people to have their concerns addressed."
Tom Canyon, another registered Navajo voter, said most urban Navajos want better educational and employment opportunities for themselves and their children. "We want our quality of life upgraded," he said.