Native Americans defeat GOP's racist voter ID law in North Dakota

[turbinetree]

By Dan Desai Martin -February 13, 2020 3:27 PM

North Dakota will accept tribal IDs as identification at the voting booth moving forward.

North Dakota was forced this week to allow Native American tribal IDs as acceptable identification at the voting booth, the Campaign Legal Center announced on Thursday.

The decision is the culmination of a four-year legal battle that began in January 2016, in response to the state's stringent voter ID law.

"It has always been our goal to ensure that every native person in North Dakota has an equal opportunity to vote, and we have achieved that today," Matthew Campbell, attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, said in a press release. "We thank the Spirit Lake Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the individual native voters that stood up for the right to vote."

The Native American Rights Fund, along with the Campaign Legal Center, were plaintiffs in lawsuits targeting the ID law.

Under the GOP-backed law, North Dakota residents were forced to present identification with a street address in order to vote. However, many Native Americans in the state live on reservations that do not even have residential addresses, thereby disenfranchising them from the ability to vote.

"This restrictive voter ID law put North Dakota beyond the norms of voter ID laws and violates the constitutional rights of the state's citizens," the Native American Rights Fund wrote on its website. "Just like North Dakota's previous law, which was found unconstitutional by a federal court, this law makes it harder for some citizens—specifically Native American citizens—to exercise their right to vote."

On Thursday, the North Dakota Secretary of State agreed to enter a legally binding consent decree allowing tribal IDs as an

acceptable for of voter ID. Further, according to the Campaign Legal Center, the state will work to distribute free non-driver IDs on every reservation in the state within 30 days of an election.

https://americanindependent.com/north-dakota-voting-rights-native-americans-id-law-voter-suppression-gop-republicans/

[elleng]

1. Sounds like BIG NEWS to me.

[Sinistrous]

2. Good news! Long over due.

(Why the angry faces and dark cloud?)

[madaboutharry]

3. It was beyond the run of the mill racism.

Something about disenfranchising Native Americans is particularly outrageous and despicable.

I am glad they won this fight.

[Demovictory9]

4. Good news

[oasis]

5. Best news of the day.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. This is a mega win for the Native

Community. And a massive lose for the Old White Guy Rethugs. Many County Commissioner spots will now become Native held. Watch for the Bismark/Mandan City Councils to finally see Native representation .

[RestoreAmerica2020]

7. Great news! Thanks for post!

Paz .

[whathehell]

8. Good on them!

[grantcart]

9. Great news. Thanks for posting

[Hermit-The-Prog]

10. What will GOP try next?

Is there time for the GOP to pull some other dirty trick against Native Americans before November?

[scarletwoman]

11. The South Dakota tribes aren't so lucky.

See: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212973246

GOP-dominated House bars tribal IDs for voter registration

South Dakota Democrats called foul on Friday after the Republican-dominated House shot down their efforts to allow Native Americans to use their tribal IDs to register to vote.

The defeat Thursday evening prompted several Democrats to level accusations of voter suppression. Republicans say their resistance is all about keeping voter registration secure.

"The way our voting system is set up does disenfranchise particular Native American voters," said Rep. Ryan Cwach, a Yankton Democrat.

In the 2018 general election, tribal communities reported some of the lowest voter turnout figures in the state. Native Americans make up 9% of the state's total population.

On Thursday, the House considered an amendment to a voter registration bill that would have allowed tribal IDs to be used for voter registration, alongside state drivers' and nondrivers' licenses and social security numbers. Republicans defeated the measure, arguing that the secretary of state could not verify the information on the IDs, which are issued by the tribes. They were also concerned that not every tribal ID provides an address, which could allow people who live outside the state to vote in South Dakota elections.

Rep. Shawn Bordeaux, a Mission Democrat who is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said tribes in the state have improved the quality of their IDs in recent years. They now include addresses, holographics and other security measures. They are recognized by federal agencies and can be used to take flights...

[turbinetree]

12. It really is tiring to continue to read the abject racism of this libertarian

bunch running the state and all along out in the west and south........................they can't even uphold treaties, here lets remind the readers of what history says about this................................and there thinking..............

http://www.savagesandscoundrels.org/events-landmarks/1889-jerome-commission-convenes/