Getting Out the VOTE in Indian Country
By Nicole Adams

  In today’s heated political climate, much attention has been given to the power of the individual vote. As the nation nears this fall’s presidential election, stories in the media abound regarding “swing states” and “swing votes,” states or groups of individuals who, despite their relatively small numbers, maintain seemingly disproportionate influence on the outcome of an election. “Soccer moms,” “NASCAR dads,” and young voters have all been touted as key “swing votes.” New Mexico, Minnesota, Iowa and, most notoriously, Florida, have been similarly identified as some of the “swing states” in this upcoming election.
   Amid these discussions, the role of Native Americans as a pivotal swing voter bloc in this year’s elections is making headlines. Recent history has debunked the notion that individual votes do not count for much in any given election. Indeed, one need only look to the most recent presidential election to see just how individual voters can change the course of history. As a result, grassroots voter registration and voter education efforts are multiplying throughout Indian Country.

Helen Littlejohn of the American Indian Program Council and Manuel Heart, Ute Mountain Tribal Council, promote voter registration.

From Disenfranchisement to “Swing Vote”
American Indians were not officially granted the right to vote until the 1924 passage of the American Indian Citizenship Act. Like other previously disenfranchised groups such as African-Americans, Latinos, and women, American Indians continued to face disenfranchisement, formal and informal, long after being granted the legal right to vote. Even today, intimidation tactics and scorn by non-Natives, coupled with stipulations in new legislation such as the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 (which allows for states to reject use of tribal identification cards to identify oneself at the polls and to enforce address verification requirements irrelevant to many rural reservation residents) continue to jeopardize the political enfranchisement of Native Americans.
   Despite these ongoing challenges, Indian Country has been organizing. In recent years, grassroots movements have sprung up in urban and reservation settings alike with the goal of increasing voter registration, voter awareness and education, fundraising efforts, and general participation in the election process. Groups such as the First American Education Project in Washington State and the National Congress of the American Indian (NCAI) in Washington, D.C., have led these efforts, with dozens of smaller, localized efforts also emerging

  As a result, the Native vote has captured national attention for its ability to mobilize effectively and influence the outcome of some very high profile contests. For example:

• In anticipation of the 2000 U.S. Senate race, Native communities in Washington State mobilized to form the First American Education Project which helped to register about 10,000 new Native voters. Senator Slate Gorton, nicknamed “Indian Fighter” for his often-adversarial relationship with Indian tribes, was defeated by 2,229 votes.

• Strongly organized voter registration and get-out-the-vote initiatives have been cited as the decisive factor in U.S. Senator Tim Johnson’s successful re-election campaign in South Dakota. He won by a mere 524 votes.

• In the 2002 Oklahoma governor’s race, the vote was decided by 6,866 votes. American Indians make up 11% of the population of Oklahoma, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

• According to NCAI President Tex Hall, Native voter participation has already been reported at record high rates during the 2004 primary and caucus seasons in North Dakota, Arizona, and New Mexico.

• The Washington Post recently identified New Mexico as one of seven key swing states in the upcoming presidential election. Ten percent of the entire population of New Mexico is American Indian. The Indian vote has been credited with helping Al Gore win New Mexico in the 2000 presidential election.

Jennifer Williams (left) and Fumi Thomas (right) speak with Corrine Lindsey about registering to vote.

  Not surprisingly, leadership from across the political spectrum has taken note of these contests. Consequently, political players from national party committee leadership to individual candidates have begun to court the Native vote in anticipation of the 2004 elections. American Indians, particularly those in states where it is anticipated that important contests will be close, have come to be viewed as a key constituency. The Native vote has become a swing vote throughout the country.

Using Momentum to Make a Difference
  Unfortunately, overall Native voter participation lags behind other ethnic groups in the United States. Although research is scarce, a recent Associated Press story asserts, “American Indian voters usually do not view national elections as having much role in their lives. They are often twice as likely to vote in local reservation elections.”
   Reasons for this lack of participation are indeed complex. As Lori Windle, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe- White Earth Band and voter registration volunteer, explains, “I think, without a doubt, mistrust of the government in general is the greatest obstacle [to higher voter turnout]. There are many years of negative experience, of being treated as an afterthought at best, of being ignored as a voting block, of our issues constantly being misunderstood and our rights attacked, that people have to overcome in order to feel their participation is worthwhile. Our history as peoples in this country is one of being suppressed, and to think that the same government that did all these things will be responsive to us now is a giant leap of faith. It is not an easy thing to overcome that understandable suspicious attitude. But I have also found that we are hopeful, generous and optimistic by nature as well, and when those characteristics are allowed to come to the forefront, we have a lot to offer our people politically, and by extension the rest of the country.”

The Native People’s Political Alliance in Denver is one of many Native groups promoting voter registration nationwide. Logo for the Native Peoples’ Political Alliance (NPPA) designed and donated by Bunky Echo-Hawk.

  Fortunately, dozens of voter registration and voter education projects have been created to increase voter participation. Among them:

• National Voice in Minneapolis, Minnesota helps non-partisan nonprofit and community groups promote voting and other forms of civic participation. According to Alyssa Burhans, National Voice’s organizing director for Native American Voters and a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, “In conducting outreach, we are fi nding out what types of resources these organizations need in order to put forth their best effort with the voting projects. These could be things like training, funding, connection to larger state-wide initiatives or media messaging. My job is to make sure that they get these resources. I think it’s very important to work closely with organizations targeting Native peoples. One, to make sure that everyone is getting the information; more importantly, to make sure that work being proposed in Indian Country is being done in a respectful way.”

• The Gila River Kids Voting Program, based in Sacaton, Arizona, is one part of the award-winning Akimel O’odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council. With full support of the tribal council granted in 1993, all local community based schools are required to participate in this highly innovative family K-12 curricula. With the dual goal of increasing voter turnout and instilling “lifelong voting habits in children,” the program has children accompany their parents to the polls and even cast their own ballots in a simulated election. According to tribal election offi cials, the program has increased voter turnout by 7%.

• Native American Leadership Institute, a new nonprofit organization located in Ashland, Oregon, has created a voter registration, education and “get-out-the-vote” (GOTV) project that focus on ten counties throughout Oregon.

• The Indian People’s Action Indian Vote Project in Missoula, Montana includes voter identification, education, registration, and “get-out-the vote” (GOTV) work. GOTV activities include house visits, Indian taco feeds, rides to the polls, and ongoing evaluation of their efficacy. Janet Robideau, Northern Cheyenne and executive director of Indian People’s Action, believes that much of the organization’s success is rooted in its community support. She explains, “We have a reputation for our voter work so communities expect to see us at the doors registering people to vote or tabling and registering people to vote; they expect the events that we conduct whether they are concerts or Indian taco feeds where we provide information about where to vote, where candidates stand on the issues, conducting phone banks and especially the last five days leading to an election where we call every single person in our voter data base to remind them to vote, and offer rides to the polls.” These efforts have paid off dramatically. Robideau estimates that since 1990, the Indian People’s Action has registered over 20,000 voters.

• Native Action Network based in based in Seattle, Washington has launched its Voters in Indian Country Taking on Regional Elections (VICTORY) program. With a plan to register 2,500 new voters for the 2004 election, the VICTORY program’s non-partisan activities focus upon the Puget Sound American Indian and Alaska Native community.

Jennifer Williams (left) and Fumi Thomas (right) speak with Corrine Lindsey about registering to vote.

• Native People’s Political Alliance in Denver, Colorado partners with several Denver-area Indian organizations to coordinate voter registration and turnout in the local American Indian community. According to Lori Windle, a program volunteer, the group has had a presence at local powwows, buffalo feasts, art exhibits and other community events. She states, “There is really a lot of hard work and personal sacrifice going into this effort. The response has been generally enthusiastic and positive, particularly with young people, which is gratifying for me to see. It is good for them to be able to see community members out doing this, and they have no hesitation about coming up and talking to us. They seem to be happy to be able to register with someone they know who is Indian.”

• United Sioux Tribes Development Corporation (UST), a non-profit corporation in Pierre, South Dakota, was created in 1970 to provide development and assistance to American Indians in South Dakota. In 2002, UST conducted a successful voter registration drive that registered over 6,000 new Indian voters. This year, not wanting their efforts to overlap with a host of new voter registration initiatives, the UST has a dual focus. First, to assist tribes in making it easier for members to get tribal photo identifi cation cards to bring with them to the polls; and also, to provide non-partisan voter education and awareness through Indian Country media and presence at tribal celebrations.

• NCAI Native Vote 2004 in Washington, D.C. has set a goal of registering one million Native voters in time for the 2004 elections. NCAI is actively promoting grassroots efforts to register voters and ensure substantial voter turnout, encouraging candidates to have platform statements on Native issues, and providing a central source of oversight and coordination of these efforts. Clearly, NCAI is attuned to the potential power of the Native vote. NCAI’s position is explained in Native Vote 2004 promotional materials that state, “We cannot afford to lose the important ground we have gained in political power and we have a long way to go to realize our full potential at the polls. The time has come for us to consistently put the power of the ballot —democracy’s true trump cards—to work for us.”

• With a goal of mobilizing the largest Native American voter turnout in the history of the Northern Plains, the Rapid City, South Dakota based Northern Plains Tribal Voter Education Project plans to tap community expertise to create long-term strategies of voter participation, voter education, and demanding candidate responsiveness to Native issues.

• The Native American Voters Alliance (NAVA) is a project of the SAGE Council in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In order to address issues that affect the urban Indian community of Albuquerque, NAVA has built a voter base of 2,000 local Native Americans in order to “strengthen political literacy and civic participation.”

What Can You Do?
  With efforts like those listed above proliferating throughout Indian Country, it is certain there are local programs near you. But beyond general awareness of these initiatives, what else can be done?
   First of all, register to vote. It goes without saying that a growing consensus within Indian Country has come to recognize the importance of exercising the right to vote. Second, encourage your friends, family, and community to register, and encourage your tribe to promote voter registration activities. Third, contact any national or local initiatives to contribute, volunteer or simply help get the word out about their efforts. Fourth, speak out against incidents of voter intimidation or the burdensome requirements of new HAVA laws.
  And perhaps most importantly, educate yourself regarding the candidates and issues including their stance on Native issues. Robideau states, “Many people say that we as Natives are apathetic, but I believe that it has more to do with what information is provided about candidates and their stand on the issues. Many of our Indian people that I have spoken with have stated that they would rather not vote at all than have to guess on the ballot.” In this era, where every vote cast holds the potential to make a difference, it is up to each individual to educate themselves on the issues most important to them. Only then will the process of exercising the right to vote truly hold the significance and potential to better the state of Indian Country, and the country as a whole.

Nicole Adams, Colville/Yakama, is a contributing editor to Winds of Change.