Oct. 9: Navajo Nation Council delegate Leonard Tsosie submits a bill to change the election code, allowing voters to determine whether or not the candidate they prefer is proficient enough in the language. Deschene’s requalification is contingent on the success of Tsosie’s legislation.

Many voters see the commotion as a maneuver by nepotistic insiders to reject fresh political leadership. At 43, Deschene is more than 20 years Shirley’s junior and was born off the reservation. He received a degree from the prestigious Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, served in the Marines, and holds law and engineering degrees. He is also the grandson of a Code Talker, one of the World War II soldiers who used indigenous language to subvert Japanese espionage. Deschene’s mother went to boarding school where the Navajo language was actively exterminated and she, like many Navajos of her generation, insisted her children speak only English to survive in an English-speaking world.

Oct. 28: Tsosie’s legislation to change the election code is halted when Navajo President Ben Shelly vetoes it.

Nov. 4: Voting Day on the reservation is rife with confusion and anger. Deschene technically has been disqualified and the election postponed, but his name is still on the ballot, along with Shirley’s. Navajo voters in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah vote in state elections and for other tribal positions, but are instructed not to vote for a presidential candidate. Rumors circulate about poll workers tearing up ballots after voters mistakenly vote for their president.