Indigenous Voting
It Shouldn't Be This Hard
They were here first. And now they have to bring proof that they’re citizens in order to vote. But they’re voting anyway.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a good reminder of how hard it is for many Native peoples to vote. When your state requires a street address, and you live on a reservation where there’s no rural mail delivery and you only have a post office box, how does that work exactly? Or when your polling place is 87 miles away on a dirt road?
From Jessica Craven’s excellent substack, I heard about the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats. Arizona being a swing state, their influence is crucial. They may have provided the push that turned Arizona blue in 2020. I wrote postcards for them, with targeted messages reminding people to bring ID and putting them in touch with a local organizer who could answer questions. They’re a fantastic group, well worth your time if you want to get involved or donate.
Here’s how one activist is getting out the vote:
“In Diné, or Navajo, culture, the horse symbolizes strength and resilience, as well as a connection to the earth. Allie Young, a 34-year-old Diné grassroots organizer has harnessed the trail ride to engage Diné voters for the presidential election: her group’s voter-registration events will culminate with 100 Indigenous voters riding on horseback to a polling station in Arizona on election day.”
The stakes are high for Native peoples. “Native American turnout is especially critical in the upcoming election, when tribal sovereignty could be threatened by the conservative blueprint Project 2025, which states that fossil fuel drilling should be facilitated on tribal lands.”
”Dear Friends,
Are you obsessing about the election of 2024 and wondering what to do about it? I hope you’ll continue to check out The Optimistic Activist.
Every week I post some ideas for doing something. How to get out the vote, spread the word, and support progressive candidates. Ideas for simple but effective activism. As easy, as practical, as do-able as I can make them.
Together, I think, we could really make a difference.
“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future.”
--Noam Chomsky
