Indigenous Peoples Day includes major voting push

AS NATIVE AMERICANS MARK INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY ON THIS SECOND MONDAY OF OCTOBER, THERE IS A PUSH, IN SOME PARTS, TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO THE POLLS IN NOVEMBER.

A VOTING RALLY IN MINNEAPOLIS, A FORUM ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN VOTING IN VIRGINIA, A PROJECT IN UTAH TO GET PEOPLE SIGNED UP,  ALL  EVENTS  FEATURING  MOBILIZATION AND OUTREACH.

VOTER TURNOUT WAS SIGNIFICANT ON TRIBAL LAND IN ARIZONA IN 2020, WHICH WAS A BOOST FOR DEMOCRAT JOE BIDEN.

JANEEN COMENOTE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL URBAN INDIAN FAMILY COALITION, TELLS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS  INVOLVEMENT IS CRITICAL DURING A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR, SAYING QUOTE “ WE’RE REALLY ALL ABOUT JUST GETTING NATIVE VOTERS OUT, NOT TELLING THEM HOW TO VOTE.  BUT SORT OF UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU HAVE A VOICE AND YOU’RE A DEMOCRACY, A DEMOCRACY THAT WE HELPED CREATE. “

ACCORDING TO THE 2020 CENSUS, THERE ARE ALMOST 10 MILLION PEOPLE WHO IDENTIFY AS NATIVE AMERICAN IN UNITED STATES OR ROUGHLY 3 % OF THE POPULATION.  THE NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND- A NON-PROFIT THAT HAS PROVIDED LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO TRIBES- RECENTLY FOUND THAT 66% OF ELIGIBLE NATIVE AMERICANS ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE.

IT CITED CERTAIN BARRIERS AS REASONS FOR **NOT VOTING** INCLUDING : MANY HOMES ON INDIAN LAND, LACKING ADDRESSES AS WELL AS MAIL DELIVERY.  ALSO, POLLING PLACES ARE OFTEN LOCATED OFF THE RESERVATION AND IMPOVERISHED NATIVE AMERICANS DO  NOT HAVE THE TRANSPORTATION MEANS TO TRAVEL TO VOTE

TACKLING THOSE STIGMAS IS DIFFICULT,  BUT THERE ARE EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO EMPOWER THE UNDERREPRESENTED SO THAT NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE MORE OF A VOICE.  Indigenous Peoples Day is NOT A FEDERAL HOLIDAY BUT IT IS OBSERVED IN 17 STATES.  I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI, FOR MORE UNBIASED UPDATES, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP