Impact of Alaska Native and Native American Voting

By

Terrance H. Booth, Sr. – Tsimshian

“Political analysts say the presidential race this year could easily be swung by Native voters in battleground states with high Native populations, such as New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Colorado, but only if effective outreach has been made to Native communities.

During the primaries, for example, Senator Obama visited the Crow reservation in Colorado to give a campaign speech. When the votes were in, Crow precincts reported higher turnout then the rest of the state. In the end, Obama won the state with 91 percent of the vote. “  [1]

So the Alaska Native and Native American voting does count and one Arizona Tribe has the Yavapi Nation has a landmark law case opening up Native American voting rights for all Natives of Arizona.  “On July 15, 1948, the Arizona Supreme Court overruled previous legal opinions. Judge Levi S. Udall quoted Indian law scholar Felix Cohen and wrote that, “In a democracy, suffrage is the most basic civil right…. To deny the right to vote where one is legally entitled to do so, is to do violence to the principles of freedom and equality.”

The next day, a banner headline on The Arizona Republic’s front page read “Court Grants Indian Vote.” Harless didn’t mince words in the story. “If a person can be called upon to fight for his country, then he certainly has the right to take an active part in the government of that country,” he told the newspaper.

Despite the landmark ruling, it took decades for American Indians to fully realize the right to vote. Some tribal members were uncertain about the newly won rights because the state and federal processes weren’t viewed as their processes, according to ITCA. They also worried that taking part in the electoral process would lead to things like new taxes or further loss of their reservation lands.

There was a legal hurdle, too. American Indians who wanted to vote needed to pass state literacy requirements. But the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated such discrimination, and the civil rights movement further increased voting rights for all disenfranchised groups.

Though Harrison and Austin won the landmark court ruling more than 60 years ago, today’s generation has an annual reminder. The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, where Harrison and Austin lived and died, hosts a commemoration ceremony every July 15 to honor the men and their two daughters still living at Fort McDowell.” [2]  This particular tribe in honor of Harrison and Austin has large numbers of their tribe registered voters; but, more importantly voter turnout for both the primary and general election is in the 90% level which means that local elections their Native vote counts. 

Also, amid a supposed Republican controlled state the Arizona Native voting puts its first Democrat into office that had been controlled by Republicans for over a quarter of a century.  This was Governor Janet Napolitano and in same Election State Attorney General Terry Goddard got elected.  This shows the power and impact of a state wide election of a state governor and state attorney general and that Native voting can make a direct impact on outcomes of local elections.

In Washington State the Native American Vote ousted US Senator Slade Gorton, who was considered by Natives as an “Indian Fighter.”[3]

USA Politics for the Alaska Native and Native American population from the Office of the President. Congress, US Senate and US House of Representatives through congressional legislation, policies, and regulations governs and impacts the very life and existence of America’s Indigenous from the cradle to the grave.  It impacts us by Presidential Political Appointees as head of different federal agencies that provide funding for reservation settings.  And Tribal leaders say yea or nay to these political appointees of the president and sometimes these appointees have an adverse impact upon the tribes for they hinder social and economic progress.  In this day and age you would think that poverty would be eliminated from all of Indian Country, USA.  After all we have been ruled by 44 presidents you would think that one of them would once and for all resolve the social and economic conditions of Indian Country who today some have as high as 50-80% unemployment while America only has 8.5 to 9% unemployment rate. It is time that the tribal leadership of Indian Country, USA establishes a national Native Agenda to once and for all eliminate poverty, create jobs and educate corporate America on all the tax incentives existing for Indian Country, USA. Even with these tax incentives we see Microsoft lobbying for foreign engineers and scientists; yet Indian Country has technical expertise, scientific knowledge and know-how.  Some tribes even have designated lands for commercial and industrial development.  So let us not only vote but become more vocal in the political arena for after all they provide the appropriations for the tribal programs of our reservation settings.  So in 2012 let us loudly turn out to vote for there are key states were our Native Voting will count including: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin. [4]