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Recount of Navajo Nation presidential primary begins amid transparency concerns

Greg Bigman poses for a photograph before a Navajo Nation presidential forum at a tribal casino outside Flagstaff on Tue, June 21, 2022. Bigman was among 15 candidates seeking the top leadership post.
Felicia Fonseca/AP
/
AP
Greg Bigman poses for a photograph before a Navajo Nation presidential forum at a tribal casino outside Flagstaff on Tue, June 21, 2022. Bigman was among 15 candidates seeking the top leadership post.

A full recount of the Navajo Nation’s presidential primary election has begun. It follows concerns voiced by more than half of the candidates over transparency, voting machines, ballots and other details related to the race.

The Navajo Election Administration on Monday began a full hand and machine recount of the nearly 50,000 votes cast in all 110 tribal chapters during the Aug. 2 primary. Ten of the 15 candidates who ran for Navajo president requested the new tally, saying they’re concerned that the vote count wasn’t accurate.

One of them, former Navajo Attorney General Ethel Branch, is spearheading the effort, and says she struggled to receive even basic information from officials like campaign finance regulations.

"I need this information as a candidate to make sure that I’m not running afoul of the law. And I just wanted to know, what are the rules of the game here? There should be consistency and knowledge and application with respect to how things are being handled," she says.

Branch, along with Greg Bigman, Rosanna Jumbo-Fitch and several others who didn’t advance to the general election, have also requested dozens of pieces of information related to voting machines and early and absentee ballots.

Navajo Election Administration officials didn’t comment on the candidates’ concerns but say the recount is expected to last until Friday.

Incumbent Navajo President Jonathan Nez and Buu Nygren will face off in the November general election.

Ryan Heinsius joined the KNAU newsroom as executive producer in 2013 and was named news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.