SCOTUS brief: Indian Country still needs the Voting Rights Act of 1965
By voting_team

SCOTUS brief: Indian Country still needs the Voting Rights Act of 1965

On July 18, 2022, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), represented by the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in the United States Supreme Court case Merrill v. Milligan (21-1086), a case which examines whether the proposed Alabama redistricting plan violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The NCAI brief provides the Court with an account of the ongoing and critical need for Section 2 of the VRA to safeguard against Native American vote dilution caused by contemporary racial discrimination and voter suppression. This ongoing racial discrimination continues to impact Native Americans’ ability to elect…
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Testimony on Native American Voting Rights
By voting_team

Testimony on Native American Voting Rights

Over the years, NARF staff have provided expert testimony to state and federal legislators to help them understand the unique experiences of Native American voters. Much of our testimony is based on the findings included in our report,  Obstacles at Every Turn: Barriers to Political Participation Faced by Native American Voters. October 27, 2021Oversight Hearing on “Voting Matters in Native Communities.” Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. October 20, 2021Restoring the Voting Rights Act: Protecting the Native American and Alaska Native Vote. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on the Constitution. May 24, 2021Voting In America: The Potential For Voter ID Laws, Proof-Of-Citizenship…
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By voting_team

Webinar: A Conversation on Voting Rights in Indian Country

In this first-of-its-kind online conversation, NARF legal experts Natalie Landreth (Chickasaw) and Jacqueline De León (Isleta Pueblo) discuss the historic struggles of Native people to vote, the legal fights to access the ballot and be represented, and why voices for racial justice are critical to our democracy. We discuss our new report Obstacles at Every Turn: Barriers to Political Participation Faced by Native American Voters, which provides detailed evidence of how Native people face obstacles at every turn in the electoral process: from registering to vote, to casting votes, to having votes counted.
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By voting_team

Video: The Right to Vote: North Dakota

The North Dakota legislature passed a bill that required all registered voters to have a voter ID that included a permanent street address. Some saw this change in the law as an attempt to limit the Native American vote. The law especially affects Native Americans because customary addresses are not the norm on the state’s five reservations. In response, tribal activists and allies mobilized the Standing Rock community. That get-out-the-vote drive resulted in a record voter turnout in 2018. See the full Right to Vote film at publicsquaremedia.org/right-to-vote/
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