Native Voices

News about Native American Voter Engagement Projects

Published by National Voice, www.nationalvoice.org

Editor, Alyssa Burhans, Native American Organizing Director

April 2004

The United Sioux Tribes Development Corporation is leading a statewide voter education project in South Dakota. The Native America Voting project expands voter education efforts to the states 9 tribes on the new voter identification requirements implemented last year. The new requirements could prevent a substantial amount of Native people from exercising their right to vote. As such, the Native America Voting project will educate and assist Native people in fulfilling these new requirements. For more information on this project, contact Brian Drapeaux, 605-222-2220.

The VICTORY Team Initiative plans to register 2,500 new Native voters in the Puget Sound area of Washington. Led by the Native Action Network, the project includes voter education, registration, and GOTV efforts. The VICTORY Team will consist of community members who will lead the voter education and registration efforts. Communication will be coordinated through the Native Voters’ Circles email lists which will be available on the Native Action Network website. For more information on this project, please contact: Claudia Kauffman, (253) 939-3311, ext 3167.

Idaho’s Tribal Latino Caucus

The Tribal Latino Caucus held their first summit in January 2004 and was hosted by the ID Hispanic Caucus and Idaho Migrant Council in coordination with the Coeur d́Alene, Nez Perce, Kootenai, and Shoshone-Pauite. The Native American and Latino communities account for 11% of the state population and the Caucus hopes to put forth a united front on issues of education, public safety, and health care. For more information, please contact Co-Chairs: Samuel N. Penney <samp@nezperce.org>, or Ernesto Sanchez <ernestosanchez@idaholegalaid.org>

South Dakota Native Voting Efforts highlighted in national publication

In 2002, Native American Voters turned out in record numbers, and changed the face of South Dakota politics forever. This effort is featured in the book, “How to Get Stupid White Men out of Office” published by the League of Pissed off Voters. To order this book, please visit: http://www.indyvoter.org/book.html

Native Vote Campaign Materials

The Native Vote effort has posters, buttons, and bumper stickers for voter mobilization projects throughout Indian Country. These materials can be ordered directly from the National Congress of American Indians. For more information and to view the products, visit: http://www.nativevote.org

National Voice Funding MatchMaker

National Voice works with funding organizations that are interested in supporting 501c3 non-partisan voting initiatives. If you have a great idea that needs funding, send a copy of your proposal as an attachment to alyssa@nationalvoice.org. If it is 501c3-friendly, we will make it available to funders here, who will be encouraged to contact your project directly to express questions or interest in funding.