Cooeyate, Simplicio win
Female candidates fare well in Zuni tribal elections

Dancy Simplicio and Norman Cooeyate

By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Staff Writer

ZUNI — It was a night of celebration for Norman Cooeyate and Dancy Simplicio, who won the seats to become the Zuni tribe's next Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively.

Cooeyate and Simplicio triumphed over candidates Shirley Bellson, and Edward Wymetewa, racking in 77 more votes to win the two top seats. The final count was Cooeyate and Simplicio with 792 votes, and Bellson and Wymetewa with 715 votes.

"It was an affirmation of the positive feeling that I had all day long," said an elated Cooeyate, following the count.

Cooeyate and Simplicio said they heard the results over the radio from Cooeyate's home, and then received a phone call from their poll watcher who confirmed their win.

"He (Cooeyate) came out and he had his hands in the air, and it hit me then," said Simplicio.

Following the counting of the ballots, supporters gathered at Cooeyate's house to eat a celebratory meal.

Throughout the day, candidates campaigned near the tribal offices, where campaign staff offered coffee, stew and frybread to their supporters. Despite the cold weather, a majority of candidates spent the day outside the tribe's main road, holding signs and waving at commuters.

Many community members honked their horns and pulled off the side of the road to offer words of support to those running for a seat in the tribal government. Election officials said Election Day was the first time that candidates really made themselves visible to community members, making signs and setting up stands for voters.

"This is the first time we've seen a lot of campaigning," said Darlynn Penteah, co-chair for the Zuni Election Board.

In the tribal council election, Shelly C. Chimoni received 989 votes, giving her the highest number of total votes, and the seat of Head Councilwoman. She will be the first woman to hold the position.

Dixie J. Tsabetsaye came in second with 910 votes, followed by Carelton P. Albert, Sr. (incumbent) with 902 votes, Arden Kucate (incumbent) with 881 votes, Winona Stacy Peynetsa with 865 votes, and Charlotte T. Bradley (incumbent) won the sixth seat on the council with 677 votes.

With three women voted into the council, election officials said it will be the highest number of women to serve on the Council.

Of the 3,385 registered voters, 1,527 cast ballots, giving the office a 45.1 percent voter turnout. Of the total votes, 116 were absentee ballots. During the primary election, 897 people voted, 18 via absentee ballots.

In the 2002 election, 1,145 of 3,184 registered voters turned out to vote, with more women than men casting ballots. Election officials were happy about the nearly 400 more people who came out to vote this election.

Penteah said the election went smoothly, especially since the office had four voting machines compared to two during the primaries, making the voting process faster. Most people dropped in to cast their ballots in the early morning, and mid afternoon.

While the official breakdown of the numbers has not been completed, election officials are certain that there has been an increase in the turnout of young voters.

"We're glad they're interested, and made the time to come out and vote," said Penteah, who believes that the high turnout is because young people are becoming more interested in their government.

Officials said the office held frequent voter registration drives since the primaries, although they did not focus on any particular age group.

The inauguration will be Jan. 4, following the pueblo's observance of the Winter Solstice.