Citing 'civic emergency,' tribal leaders push for largest-ever Native American voter turnout

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Citing 'civic emergency,' tribal leaders push for largest-ever Native American voter turnout
Article by: SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN , Associated Press
Updated: November 1, 2012 - 2:09 AM

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A tribal newspaper in Arizona is publishing a detailed voter guide for the first time ever. A New Mexico pueblo is sending kindergartners home with get-out-the-vote buttons for their parents. Tribes in Wisconsin are reaching out to young adults with a Rock the Vote event.

Native American communities nationwide are working hard to tap about 3 million Native American voters, hoping to turn around low voter participation that has persisted in Indian Country for decades. The push is being headed by the National Congress of American Indians, the largest group representing Native Americans, which calls low turnout a "civic emergency" — fueled by everything from language barriers and vast distances between polling places to high unemployment and poverty.

~snip~

The NCAI and its partners are focusing on 18 states with high Indian populations, and their efforts are not without challenge. The NCAI said in a recent report that voter ID laws could negatively affect participation this year in Native American and Alaska Native communities in 10 states — Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Washington.

For example, in Alaska and Florida, tribal ID cards are not listed as acceptable forms of identification at the polls. In other states, address requirements pose difficulty for those tribal communities that lack street addresses. In Montana, Indians from the remote Crow, Northern Cheyenne and Fort Belknap reservations sought an emergency order for satellite voting on reservations, arguing that the long distance they must travel to vote early, or register late, puts them at a disadvantage compared with white voters. A federal judge denied their request on Tuesday.


Read more: http://www.startribune.com/local/176721881.html?refer=y&vi_adid=W

[secondwind]

1. Unbelievable.

[secondwind]

2. actually, I do remember an incident in 2008, I think it was South Dakota, where

authorities came on to a reservation and removed the only voting machine in the entire reservation...

Folks were obliged to travel 300 MILES to go vote. What is wrong with this country?

[Coyotl]

7. Travel 300 miles from the res to vote. Which state did they go to?

You might want to check your facts. You can get to Canada from a SD res in fewer miles.

[Raster]

8. yes, but they couldn't vote in Canada.

[roguevalley]

9. in alaska 300 miles is normal. by boat plane dog sled

Sled.

[UCmeNdc]

3. Good for them!

A super high voter participation from native Americans will make people take notice.

[Historic NY]

4. Great this could be their defining moment. ... VOTE.

[FailureToCommunicate]

5. "A federal judge denied their request on Tuesday"

Disgraceful

[Coyotl]

6. Tribal voter turnout may decide the ND Senate race.

Even though Karl Rove alone has already spent $22.20 per vote in ND, Heidi Heitkamp is winning in the polls.

[xtraxritical]

10. I surly hope native American votes can make a difference in these states.

I would love to see Karl Rove and his Political Action Committees lose lots of money.

I also want to especially thank Judi Lynn for her proper usage of acronyms. National Congress of American Indians was spelled out in full before Judy started using the abbreviation NCAI. I did not have to google and guess to know what NCAI meant. That is proper usage and saves readers much aggravation.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

11. The Wave Is Happening.....

But this is a GOOD kind of wave.

Amazing. This President really ushered in and is creating (with our help! and right timing) change on a very large scale.

[Zorra]

12. 90% to 95% of Native American voters vote Democratic.

DNC should be out there helping to make it easier for rural rez folks to vote,

[luv_mykatz]

13. K&R