Navajo Nation Voters Reach Polls by Tractor and Temporary Road After Floods

Voters on the Navajo Nation cast ballots on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2026, despite flooding that damaged roads and closed a major bridge. The Navajo Nation stretches across parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.

In Dennehotso, Arizona, three floods hit the community in the month before Nov. 4, according to NPR. The largest began on Oct. 22. The water ravaged homes and newly built roads, and it knocked out power and water.

On election day, a backhoe was building a temporary road so residents cut off from town could reach the polling site at the Dennehotso Chapterhouse. Volunteer drivers and Chapter employees also shuttled people to the polls.

Lilien Begay, 92, voted at Denehotso on Nov. 3, accompanied by her daughters Berneice, Darlene and Vera. Urbina Yazzie, 27, said people had to drive on tractors from one road to another just to come and vote.

In Rock Point, Arizona, ruined roads created an obstacle for hundreds of residents, The New York Times reported. KTAR reported that flooding closed a major bridge serving the community and that hundreds of voters there were unable to reach the polls on Tuesday.

Damaged roads and widespread power and water outages created obstacles for voters across the Navajo Nation on Election Day. Voting hours were 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management met on Sept. 17, 2026, to review the continuing impacts of severe monsoon storms and flash flooding.