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Republicans Are Trying to Disenfranchise Native American Voters in North Dakota, But the Native Community Is Fighting Back With a Unique Plan to Allow Them to Vote
It is on.
There are five federally recognized Tribes and one Native American community that fall within the borders of North Dakota. While numbers of Native voters are not enough to win an election completely, their support can decide a close race.
In the past, that support went toward helping Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp. Native rights advocates like the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) point to this support as the reason behind a new voter ID requirement in North Dakota.
North Dakota state issued IDs include a person's mailing address. Due to a decision by the United States Postal Service (USPS), Natives living on reservations in North Dakota are issued post office boxes instead of receiving rural mail delivery.
Because of this USPS decision, Native American IDs and other documents typically used to indicate eligibility to vote, such as utility bills, do not include a physical address, but rather a post office box. Republicans in North Dakota pushed through a law adding a physical address requirement be presented at the polls to be able to vote in North Dakota, whether a voter registered and voted previously or not.
The law—which disproportionately affected Native American voters—faced legal challenges due to its voter suppression of a specific block of voters. Native Americans did not have the right to vote in their own homeland until 1924, but Native voting rights came with many strings attached and Natives did not have full voting rights until the late 1960s.
Citizens in 1924 whether wanted or not. In ND we had to give up our tribal enrollment to vote. We didn’t. We couldn… https://t.co/JXCcALIa7n— ND Native Vote (@ND Native Vote) 1539823860.0
However the Supreme Court—in a split decision—ruled to uphold the North Dakota voter ID law without an explanation.
The US Supreme Court denied NARF’s emergency application to stop the State of North Dakota from implementing a dis… https://t.co/15tqvuelY8— NARF (@NARF) 1539192664.0
Outrageous/Unjust. R’s in North Dakota make it harder for Native Americans to vote. Requiring street address when m… https://t.co/zvqQJg3EHz— Eric Holder (@Eric Holder) 1539128344.0
So much has been taken from Native American communities over the centuries. And now North Dakota is taking their ri… https://t.co/7neDJGMdv4— Jeff Merkley (@Jeff Merkley) 1539732147.0
North Dakota voting law takes away Native American right to vote. #NativeVote https://t.co/kkwV6IQjBW— A.A.I.A. (@A.A.I.A.) 1539527835.0
North Dakota GOP passed voter ID after Dem Sen. Heidi Heitkamp won by just 2,881 votes in 2012's Senate race. It's… https://t.co/706sTqKgUb— Stephen Wolf (@Stephen Wolf) 1539184347.0
After the disappointing decision by the SCOTUS to uphold targeted voter suppression, the Tribes and Native rights groups fought back.
NARF is coordinating with the 5 ND tribes to provide updated ID cards, or address verification documents, to triba… https://t.co/B84xZbM4tq— NARF (@NARF) 1539628615.0
NARF is coordinating with the 5 ND tribes to provide updated ID cards, or address verification documents, to triba… https://t.co/B84xZbM4tq— NARF (@NARF) 1539628615.0
BREAKING: Native Americans push back on North Dakota voter ID rule, announcing in a new statement they will issue s… https://t.co/gqqkvYL1km— Maddow Blog (@Maddow Blog) 1539826721.0
If anything good can come of the voter suppression on NoDak Native Americans, may it rally Indian Country to the po… https://t.co/zyHe6gFhPt— Jenni Monet (@Jenni Monet) 1539804317.0
One minor positive--I'm loving seeing all these Native bylines. Can we keep this up forever, please?— Dr. Adrienne Keene (@Dr. Adrienne Keene) 1539803634.0
North Dakota refuses to tell Native Americans if they can vote with tribal ID -- so the tribes are taking action… https://t.co/rsHhBE2UFz— Raw Story (@Raw Story) 1539829757.0
And then others jumped in to help raise the funds needed to get all Natives who want to vote the documentation they need to make it happen.
Daily Kos teamed up with North Dakota Native Vote and spread the word of the need for funds to ensure Native American voting rights and combat voter suppression.
Please donate and retweet! Daily Kos has teamed up with North Dakota Native Vote—an organization working with local… https://t.co/oSedorWgUs— Neeta Lind (Diné) (@Neeta Lind (Diné)) 1539793544.0
Let’s not get distracted. https://t.co/jTM61rV7zu— ND Native Vote (@ND Native Vote) 1539823711.0
Good news: You can contribute to North Dakota Native Vote to help fight Republican voter suppression & ensure Nativ… https://t.co/xuPJUXcIoR— Stephen Wolf (@Stephen Wolf) 1539794834.0
Fact! people are putting money down behind the idea that we can’t stand for this kind of injustice, blatant voter s… https://t.co/hqlyNHaQCV— ND Native Vote (@ND Native Vote) 1539817942.0
On Wednesday, Daily Kos announced they met and exceeded their funding goal.
The goal was $100K for voter IDs at North Dakota reservations. We're at $150K, and we're going to keep pushing to g… https://t.co/VyiAXCx2d0— Markos Moulitsas (@Markos Moulitsas) 1539803938.0
However the fight is not won. Whether North Dakota accepts the addresses and documentation provided by Native voters is up to the office of North Dakota Secretary of State, Republican Alvin Jaeger.
If Jaeger refuses to accept the addresses from tribal authorities, it raises questions of fundamental government-guaranteed rights and tribal sovereignty. Until election day, pressure needs to stay on North Dakota to ensure Native voting rights are upheld.
This is America. Can you imagine being colonized, stripped of your land, heritage, dignity, and people, and then to… https://t.co/9TmocxH5cb— SoujournerDaTruth (@SoujournerDaTruth) 1539865007.0
Can you imagine some assholes taking your country, taking your language, cutting your hair, taking your religion th… https://t.co/5jGYEboHaF— Michael W. Twitty (@Michael W. Twitty) 1539837265.0
@MaddowBlog @maddow "Legal white immigrants" stole the Native Americans' land, almost exterminated them, exiled the… https://t.co/FnHKjFluvL— Bess Smith (@Bess Smith) 1539831782.0
Midterm elections are slated for Tuesday, November 6, 2018.