The Native American Voting Issue: Suppression, Confusion, and Delusion
Written by: Darrin Caldwell
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| Source: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/10/17/1804623/-Native-American-Leaders-Tell-Senate-To-Restore-Voting-Rights-Act |
On October 9th, 2018, the US Supreme Court allowed
a lower court ruling that North Dakota residents who are voting must not only
show identification but also give a residential address as well in the state of
North Dakota. But, what do you do when over 70,000 Native Americans who live in
the state don’t have a residential address? Recent voter suppression from
minority suppression to the various other types of suppression. Whether this
law was to suppress only certain people’s right to vote and the Native
Americans are either in the crossfire or are disgustingly targeted, things like
these are just more reasons why government encroachment with no regards to
regulate what happens means that many are hit in the damage that expands from a
law such as this one. Since Native Americans living on reservations don’t have
a residential address but rather a P.O box, these people won’t even have the
right to say how they’d like the state to govern. This would also include the
homeless and poverty-stricken. Ashoka Mukpo, a member of the ACLU, says that
this law is even unnecessary considering the lack of evidence that such voter
fraud that exists in North Dakota. This law was also criticized for its time
period enacted before the midterm elections, which was just 3 measly weeks,
which not only confuses everyone in the state, but especially Native Americans
who made long treks out of their reservations to the voting booths which just
are oh so concidentially located far outside of reservations. [1] This is seen
as an unjust and unfair way to gain power as to be seen as the majority and
hushing all the opposition to be seen as sore losers rather than admitting they
are qualified and just complaints to be seen. Though, it’s not like they’ll
actually listen considering this is a ham-fisted way of asserting their power
over their opposition which includes many Native Americans. In 2012, Heidi
Heitkamp, a Democratic senator from North Dakota was only able to win from
3,000 votes, to which most political analysts agree wouldn’t have happened
without the votes of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and other Native Americans
across the state of North Dakota. [2] Now without these tribes to vote for her,
she lost to Republican senator Kevin Cramer, which is exactly what was planned
from this voter ID law and voter ID laws from around the country in an attempt
to keep control of power from poor, unpopular beliefs and laws. In 2016, a group
of Native Americans who were unable to vote because of the state’s introduction
of ID cards needed to vote had filed a lawsuit, arguing that their race was
being targeted by the new law considering that not a single site on any Native
American reservations within North Dakota could an ID card be found and given.
Meaning of course that those without ID cards would have to travel outside of
their reservations to attain one. [2]
However,
within the Native American sphere, there are members taking action. O.J.
Semans, who is the co-director of the organization Four Directions, which is a
Native American voting rights group. He discusses that the Native American
youth in North Dakota aren’t going quietly into that good night. The Native
American youth have protested by walking out of schools for their beliefs, also
adding that hopefully their views and beliefs can make more elder members of
Native American society the courage and energy to go vote themselves. Semans
says that this activism helps future generations on knowing what to stand up
for and says that these setbacks only help further enhance the spirit and
resolve Native Americans have when facing these obstacles. [3] Thankfully, on
several Native American reservations within North Dakota, there are tribal
leaders that are getting many the ID cards they need. The cards that are so
needed that the machine that makes the cards overheated and melted some before
stopping. Tribes-members of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations are also
spreading the word from door to door about the changed laws. [2] Another
specific instance of voter suppression a Native American was a situation where a
woman was turned away after being told that there’s no early voting in North
Dakota when in fact for all counties of North Dakota there’s an allowed early
absentee voting which is very identical to early voting. Another instance was
when one woman’s vote would not be counted if she did not write her ballot in
blue ink, but on Ann Oliver’s website, who’s the Secretary of State in North
Dakota, says that all ballots must be filled out in black ink, to which she had
to involve herself after the situation grew to be out of hand which she
clarified that either color would be acceptable. [4]
These examples are just some of the
many types of voter suppression that minorities including Native Americans go
through. Once you see through the tactics of the party, you can either
blissfully ignore it because it coincides with your outdated and obsolete
belief, or fight to strike it down from civilized society, which is exactly
what the Native American youth of North Dakota are doing as well as youth from
around the country. It would be downright irony for these offenders that have
for so long been detrimental to Native American society to be corrected by the
right way of doing things when they have for so long considered Native
Americans to be uncivilized. Well it’s either time to be “civilized” or be cast
out.
Sources
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/31/18047922/north-dakota-voter-id-suppression-heitkamp
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