Item 4 November 2026 at 0032 UTC, i.e. 0232 in Beirut and 1732 on Tuesday in Arizona.Floods complicate access to the vote at Rock Point in the Navajo nation, while midterms continue in the U.S. West. Damaged roads and isolated homes prevent residents from easily reaching the offices, according to testimonies gathered on Tuesday afternoon. No final assessment of those who have not been able to vote is yet made in the available information.
People are looking for ways to reach the polls
Valinda Shirley, vice-president of Rock Point’s local chapter, told the Associated Press about hundreds of voters facing flooding. On Tuesday afternoon she received messages from locals asking for help to get out of their sector and vote.
When questioned by KNAU radio, she explained that roads west of Rock Point remained largely impassable. Some residents were planning to reach the voting venue on foot. The local official expressed her anger at the idea that residents could be deprived of this possibility.
Other county centres remain an option
In an emergency notice issued on Tuesday, the Arizona State Secretariat recalls that registered voters in Apache County are not obliged to vote at Rock Point: they can go to any polling centre in that county. However, the administration warns that flooding can affect roads and access to sites.
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes advised residents to look for a more accessible centre. But Shirley replied to KNAU that this solution remained difficult for isolated people. The availability of another office does not in itself solve the problem of transport.
The Arizona official page also relays a free ride offer offered by Arizona Native Vote in affected areas. It states that this Community programme is neither organised nor provided by the State Secretariat.
The vote continues in the West
For the US election in Apache County, the normal closing time is set at 7 p.m. in Arizona, i.e. 2 UTC and 4 a.m. in Beirut on Wednesday. The difficulties reported at Rock Point relate to access to ballot boxes; they do not constitute an election result or an established count of lost ballots.
Photo of illustration: The Federal Capitol in Washington, 1997. Architect of the Capitol, public domain.
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