Bernie Sanders joining the first-ever Native American political forum Sioux City, Iowa. Aug 19/20 [View all]

[Donkees]

Excerpt:

Some 3 million to 5 million Native Americans live in the U.S., according to the National Congress of American Indians. And, as Semans points out, that’s an important voting block: “Right now, we have large populations in seven states that are battleground states.” Native American political influence has had a substantial impact on elections in some states. In North Dakota in 2012, for example, tribal voter turnout efforts were credited with the election of Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, who won by a slim 3,000 vote margin.

Over the two-day event, candidates will take questions from panels of elected tribal officials, tribal members, and Native American youth. The forum will likely discuss a plethora of issues, among them sovereign rights of tribes, housing, and the protection of Native land.

Another topic that’s likely to come up: voter suppression and disenfranchisement. In states like North Dakota and Wisconsin, Native Americans are dissuaded from going to the polls by voter ID laws that require identification with proof of address that it is difficult for many to obtain: many Native American nations are located in rural areas without formal addresses. What’s more, polling places are often situated far from those nations. Thankfully, in last year’s midterm elections, Native American rights advocates went to bat against the issue and championed unprecedented voter turnout.

https://grist.org/article/bernie-sanders-among-2020-candidates-joining-the-first-ever-native-american-political-forum/


JIM WATSON / AFP / Getty Images