Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, helped introduce the Native Voting Rights Act to increase voter protections and address barriers to voting in Indian Country.

Due to the rural locations of many tribes, higher poverty rates on many reservations, and transportation barriers, American Indian voters face unique challenges in casting their ballots. According to the National Congress of American Indians, turnout among American Indian and Alaska Native voters in the 2012 election was a full 17 percent lower than white voters. Native Americans only fully gained the right to vote in 1957.

“Native communities face unique challenges in our electoral process, and their voices deserve to be heard,” Heitkamp said. “After the Supreme Court declined to hear an emergency appeal based on the confusion created by reverting back to North Dakota’s burdensome voter ID law that makes it harder for Native Americans to vote, our bill is especially needed to prevent Native voters from being disenfranchised. Voting should be an accessible, simple, and fair process for every American, but that has not been the case everywhere in Indian Country. Given the number of Native Americans who have served, fought, and died for this country, it is appalling that some people would still try and erect barriers to suppress their ability to vote. Native Americans served in the military before they were even allowed to vote, and they continue to serve at the highest rate of any population in this country. We need to put an end to every form of voter discrimination, and our bill would be an important starting point to bring equal access and equal rights to voters in Indian Country and Native Americans around the country.”

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an emergency appeal to prevent North Dakota’s strict voter ID law from discriminating against Native voters who don’t have a physical address listed on their ID. About 70,000 North Dakota residents lack a qualifying ID to vote in this November’s election under the strict new rules, and approximately 18,000 North Dakota residents also lack supplemental documentation sufficient to permit them to vote without a qualifying ID, the Eighth Circuit Court found.

Heitkamp has helped introduce a version of the Native Voting Rights Act in every Congress since arriving in the U.S. Senate. Specifically, the bill would:

• Establish a first-of-its kind Native American Voting Rights Task Force. This new program will provide funds to tribal and state consortiums for purposes of boosting Native voter registration, education and election participation in tribal communities.

• Provide equal access to the voter registration and polling sites. The bill includes provisions to increase Native American and Alaska Native access at each stage of the voting process, from voter registration to access to the physical places and mechanisms for voting.

• Address the devastating effects of Shelby County v. Holder by restoring tribal “preclearance.” The bill restores preclearance review for a specific subset of state actions that have been used to restrict access to the polls on Native lands.

• Afford equal treatment for tribal IDs. The bill directs voting precincts to treat tribal ID cards like state and local ID cards for purposes of voting.

• Require adequate language assistance. Directs states to consult with the Tribes on the appropriate method for furnishing instructions, assistance, or other information related to registration and voting.

• Increase access to federal election observers. Provides tribal leaders a direct pathway to request Federal elections observers.

• Require the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct annual voting consultation with Indian Tribes. Given the persistent threats to the right to vote for Native American and Alaska Native citizens, the bill directs DOJ to consult annually with tribal organizations.

Earlier this year, Heitkamp urged the DOJ to protect the voting rights of Native Americans by continuing its work to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act in all states and tribal communities, especially where underserved populations face barriers to voting.