Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez is calling on voters in a southeastern Utah county to reject a ballot proposition that could lead to expanding a three-member county commission that Native Americans took the majority of last year.
Nez said Tuesday in a statement that the proposition is the latest attempt to undermine the voice of Navajo voters in San Juan County. The county overlaps with the Navajo Nation.
If approved Tuesday, the measure would launch a one-year study of county government that could lead to expanding the commission.
The man behind the proposition, Blanding Mayor Joe Lyman, has said he's advocated for making a five-member commission long before the 2018 election results. Lyman says it would spread the workload and provide a more represented voice to residents by creating smaller districts.