Supreme Court Makes It Harder for Tribal North Dakotans to Vote

[Miles Archer]

Supreme Court Makes It Harder for Tribal North Dakotans to Vote

The order could hurt the reelection chances of Heidi Heitkamp, the most vulnerable Democratic senator.
PEMA LEVY OCTOBER 9, 2018 5:44 PM



https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/10/supreme-court-makes-it-harder-for-tribal-north-dakotans-to-vote/

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower-court order requiring voters in North Dakota to present certain forms of identification and proof of their residential address in order to cast a ballot in next month’s elections. A case challenging this requirement on behalf of the state’s sizable Native American populations alleged that the requirement would disenfranchise tribal residents, many of whom lack the proper identification and do not have residential addresses on their identification cards.

The Supreme Court’s order will likely make it harder for Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, considered the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate, to retain her seat in November. Heitkamp won her seat by less than 3,000 votes in 2012 with strong backing from Native Americans, and she is the only statewide elected Democrat. North Dakota Republicans began changing voting rules to make it harder to cast a ballot months after Heitkamp’s victory six years ago. Republicans have claimed the changes to voter ID requirements are intended to stop voter fraud, even though in-person fraud is exceedingly rare.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was sworn in on Monday, did not partake in the decision, and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan dissented.

North Dakota’s 2017 voter law ID was challenged by Native residents who alleged that the law disproportionately blocked Native Americans from voting. In April, a federal district court judge blocked large portions of the law as discriminatory against Native voters. “The State has acknowledged that Native American communities often lack residential street addresses,” Judge Daniel Hovland wrote. “Nevertheless, under current State law an individual who does not have a ‘current residential street address’ will never be qualified to vote.” According to the website of the Native American Rights Fund, which represents the plaintiffs, many native residents lack residential street addresses because “the U.S. postal service does not provide residential delivery in these rural Indian communities.”As a result, tribal IDs use P.O. boxes, which are not sufficient under North Dakota’s new law—a specification that seems designed to disenfranchise native voters. Hovland’s ruling was in place during the primaries this spring.

[Me.]

1. Sigh

[manor321]

2. And only Kagan and Ginsburg dissented

Even when we struggle and fight and struggle to win the White House, still we don't get want we want.

[grantcart]

3. I was on a reservation once and stopped and asked people at a gas station

How to find 453 Elk road.

No one had any idea what I was talking about.

I asked what road they lived on hoping to find some connection.

"I live behind the big Oak"

"I live behind red barn"

"I live under thre owls nest"

I eventually worked out that the guy I was looking for was right on Oak tree and left after owls nest. No one knew "their street address" and everyone got their mail at the post office.

This is absolutely intentional.

[Jacoby365]

4. And a Tribal Membership Card isn't enough of an ID in North Dakota?

Meanwhile, an NRA card is all you need in Texas.

[mwooldri]

5. Could something like "What 3 words" help?

What 3 Words is a service that turns any address into 3 words, unique to a 3 metre by 3 metre square. Example:. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in DC is "cracks pot mild", 10 Downing St London is "input caring brain" and the Eiffel Tower in Paris is "prices slippery traps".

This essentially gives everyone on the planet their own street address.

Could this solve the problem of the Native Americans/First Nation people not having a street address?

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Seems to me the same

sh*t is happening in South Dakota. Two years ago,people were traveling thirty or more miles to vote and then they were hassled when they tried to vote.

[Onward AND Upward]

7. Possible Solution-the same one thousands of HOA's use...

Here in California, our town allowed 4 gated, HOA developments all right next to each other. Ours was the first, and we were allowed individual mailboxes for each home. The other 3 had to build lockable, mailbox clusters (look like the ones at the postoffice, only on stands), that have 25-75? addresses per cluster. Cant they have some built ASAP, each labled with a tribal members address, put up some self named street signs, and install some metal ground spikes with reflectors, in between the signs, to indicate the roads? Then get an emergency injunctive order based on the the 1965 VRA? (I'm not a lawyer) to force the DMV to immediately issue ID cards by a deadline? Maybe get a celebrity on this to increase the pressure?

[Democracy7com]

8. Nice solution to a problem

Hi :

I like your idea. In a normal setting, the town / city government surveyor lays down
The street names, etc.

Ok, so they don't have that.

1). Put up the street signs yourself.
1.5). Notarize residences doc
2). Go to local gov, & give them gps / google map of street & residences & occupants
(Table data)
3). Go to post office postmaster & put in "pointers" in po boxes & hand them table data

4). SUe or get injunction against ND dmv.

I think I can do it in 4 weeks.

-Democracy7com

[Onward AND Upward]

11. They are going to try something similar-see the following...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211273642#post1

I hope they will have redundant laptops, in case of crashes, and have a source of gentle warmth, in case severe cold affects the computers, (probably should hire a computer pro to be there to troubleshoot, in case of problems). Also, they should do a trial dry run if possible to test for potential problems. Do they need any $?

Hope someone has given Heidi's campaign a head's up.

YEAH!!! Go ND Tribes!

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Before reading this, I was going to question Kavanaugh weighing in on this

Fortunately, he did not. But how many other issues are going to come up before the court that he would be disqualified from ruling on??

[Cha]

10. Shite! Fuck those Fascist assholes.