SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 News) – Residents of Navajo Nation make up approximately 51 percent of the population in San Juan County, the largest county in the State of Utah. But many of those residents face barriers and challenges casting their ballots during election season due to multiple factors including distance, language, and lack of physical addresses.

Several organizations including Utah League of Native American Voters, Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, and Rural Utah Project have taken on the task to improve votership in the area, beginning with assigning physical addresses to homes located on the Native American reservation.

Davina Smith was one of the San Juan County residents who previously couldn’t register to vote before she was assigned a Google Plus Code. The plus codes look different from urban city addresses, but can still be entered into Google Maps for a mapped route to their home and serve as a physical address.

Many of these residents live miles away from their neighbors, businesses, and governmental agencies, meaning long commutes to retrieve their mail or dropping off a voting ballot.

Moroni Benally, co-founder for the Utah League of Native American voters said one of the factors impacting voter turnout is the difficult access to voting polls or ballot drop boxes for those who don’t have reliable transportation.

“In San Juan County, they could travel upward of 40 to 50 miles to deposit their ballot,” said Benally.

When Smith returned to San Juan County in November to inform and educate residents about Proposition 10 which would have added two seats to the county commission, she said the challenge was empowering Navajo community members to vote and reassuring them that their voice mattered.

“I know there’s a lot of apathy with voters in part because they often times feel like nothing of substances have changed within their tribal communities whether there’s a Republican or Democratic president,” said Benally.

He added, “They often feel like their real interests are not change or shifted. There’s no real change such as an increase in funding for Indian health services, in the Bureau of Indian Education, in housing, water, and all of these things that remain stagnant.”

Smith said another challenge are language barriers for Navajo residents who only speak their native language as ballots are only offered in English.

“One way we’re trying to overcome this barrier is through Navajo Technical University’s translation course. They’re recruiting people to help translate for those who don’t know how to read or understand English,” she said

“I know that some places allow a translator to go in with the individual to translate the ballot with them in real-time,” said Benally.

Smith said thanks to all of efforts to improve votership, she feels hopeful more Navajo residents will make it to the polls this year.

WHAT OTHERS ARE READING: