The Diné Civic Center is an independent civic-education project, created by community members, focused on helping citizens better understand Navajo Nation government, elections, public policy, and community issues.
The purpose of this site is education, not endorsement. Citizens are encouraged to review multiple sources, ask questions, and participate actively in public life.
We want to be transparent about how the content on this site is created:
Automated transcripts can be inconsistent, and AI-assisted summaries reflect interpretation — not perfect transcription. For that reason, candidate pages link to the original interviews and transcripts, and readers are encouraged to review them and reach their own conclusions. All content is based on publicly available source materials and the candidates' own statements.
Candidate interview summaries, profiles, and scorecards are drawn strictly from the candidate's own interview with Cal Nez on Politics on the Navajo Nation. Other sources — public documents, government records, public meetings, and educational resources — inform the site's civic-education materials, background, and future tools such as quizzes and surveys; they are not used to score candidates. The presence or absence of a candidate interview or summary should not be interpreted as support for or opposition to any candidate.
The Diné Civic Center is an ongoing project. Candidate profiles, summaries, precinct guides, and civic resources are added and updated as information becomes available. This site is in public beta and under active development.
Official election information — including candidate filings, voter information, election notices, and results — is available through the Navajo Election Administration.
Candidates and campaign representatives may submit corrections, biographical information, campaign website and contact details, and photographs they authorize the Diné Civic Center to publish. By submitting materials, you confirm you have the right to share them and grant permission for their use on this site. To submit, contact the Diné Civic Center.
Cal Nez is an independent Navajo journalist, community member, and small-business owner who has spent many years following Navajo Nation government, public policy, and community issues. His work focuses on helping citizens better understand how tribal government functions and how public decisions affect everyday life.
In 2014, Cal Nez was a candidate for President of the Navajo Nation. That experience, combined with years of observing and reporting on tribal government, has given him firsthand knowledge of the responsibilities, challenges, and complexities of Navajo Nation leadership.
Throughout the 2026 election cycle, Cal conducted one of the most comprehensive independent interview projects of certified Navajo Nation candidates. His long-form interviews, broadcast live on Politics on the Navajo Nation, give candidates the opportunity to discuss their qualifications, governing philosophies, priorities, and public-service experiences in their own words.
Cal is known for asking the hard questions. He presses candidates for specific solutions rather than slogans, follows up when answers stay vague, and is not afraid to raise difficult subjects — missing funds, accountability, and the conflicts inside Navajo Nation government. At the same time his interviews are conversational and respectful: they run long, often move between Diné and English, and he frequently recaps a candidate’s answers back to them so their position is captured fairly. Every candidate is given the same questions and the same time.
Cal's approach emphasizes transparency, accountability, civic education, and giving voters direct access to candidates — rather than relying solely on campaign advertising or brief public appearances. The interviews are intended to help citizens hear directly from candidates and make informed decisions for themselves, not to tell voters whom to support.
The Diné Civic Center uses these interviews as its primary source material because they provide a consistent, publicly accessible record of candidate positions across the election cycle. Every candidate profile and evaluation is developed using the candidate's interview with Cal Nez as the primary source, together with other publicly available information where appropriate.
Cal's full interviews and contact links are on the Contact page.