Rights to Vote
June 2, 1924, Congress granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. Yet even after the Indian Citizenship Act, some Native Americans weren't allowed to vote because the right to vote was governed by state law.
Yes, Native Americans were given the right to vote in the Voting Rights Act of 1965; before that time different states disallowed them to vote for different reasons. Until 1957, some states barred Native Americans from voting. Let’s Pow Wow the Vote … Be part of history.
Why Vote?
WHEN WE VOTE, WE PROTECT
OUR YOUTH by advancing issues to improve schools and opportunities for achievement.
OUR VETERANS, ELDERS, & YOUTH through improved access to quality healthcare.
OUR SACRED NIBI (WATER), AIR, & LAND from environmental destruction.
THE 7-GENERATIONS with inspired economic development to end poverty and improve life for native communities
WHEN WE DO NOT VOTE WE
Give away voice and the voice of our people
Allow politicians to slash budgets that negatively affect Tribal Community resources
Ignore the opportunity to protect treaty rights and our sovereignty.
Why Vote?
At any turn, our tribal communities, and our cities and country face some major challenges ahead, as we plan for what will be a very different future.
We believe that future needs to have Native people at the table not on the menu.
Your vote counts. It’s an irony for sure. Santee philosopher John Trudell used to always point out that they did not give Native people the right to vote until we were l% of the population. You can be sure that we would not have elected Andrew Jackson or Knute Nelson if we could have voted. However nationally and statewide, we are beginning to flex some power, and it shows.
The Native American population is 6.8 million, according to U.S. Census Bureau information from 2018. While that is relatively small compared with the U.S. population, which is nearly 330 million, the Native American population has more than doubled the growth rate of the United States. From 2000 to 2016, the U.S. population grew 14% while the American Indian and Alaskan Native population experienced 35% growth.
Let’s do this! Native people are going to vote, and a lot of those people are in rural areas, where elected officials have come to feel comfortable, because Native people have not voted. It’s time for changes now. No time like the present.
REGISTER EARLY
Stay healthy and safe, and vote absentee or by mail by registering online.
Time to Vote
November 3 is the day to vote.
That’s about 20 days from now, but you can vote absentee, and you can vote in person early!! Any day from now till the election you can vote in your County Courthouse. Just drive or walk yourself on in !!
It’s time to do this.
It’s time to vote White Earth, it’s time to join Native people nationally to rock the vote and change this country- that’s what millions of Americans are about to do. But we have to work hard, because forces are working against voter participation.
Here’s why you should vote
Tribal sovereignty is being threatened in the Courts, the legislature and Congress. Health care faces cuts, and politicians are making decisions about our water and our wild rice which will impact all of us.
Our future generations count on us voting.
In fact, all of our well being is at stake. So, it’s time to put our power together. To register to vote you just need valid ID and an address. You can fill out a form this week and get a ballot sent to you or you can drive to the polls.