Native American Election Information Program Coordinator for Bernalillo County
About the Program
The Native American Election Information Program was established in Bernalillo County in 1998 and is housed under the Bureau of Elections section of the County Clerk’s Office. The Program is to assist and educate Native American citizens on City, State and Federal Elections; candidacy filing; voter registration; absentee voting; early voting; poll workers recruitment and training; and activities on election day. The program assists with the Navajo, Keres, and Tiwa languages on the election process.
Currently, we have an outreach program that is being conducted that hopes to identify and assist Native Americans located in the urban areas of Albuquerque with their election needs and translations as necessary.
We additionally have a program that sends letters to inform registered voters about the voter registration purge process.
About the Project Coordinator
Shirley Johnson-Smith’s maternal clan is Edge Water People and born for Salt People. Hired in March of 1998 as Program Coordinator, she considers it a privledge to work with the Native American residents of Bernalillo County.
Shirley would like to encourage all Native Americans to use their voting rights and to be more involved within the city, state, and federal elections and how the process works.
“I have learned that voting gives us the power to make changes in government that affects the future of our people.”
– Shirley Johnson-Smith
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