Native voter registration group to visit Flathead Reservatio

from Western Native Voice 

Western Native Voice, the Billings-based non-profit, non- partisan social justice organization, launched the “Natives on the Votepath” tour throughout Montana’s Native American communities this week to register voters for this year’s upcoming election. The crew will be going door-to-door for a month, starting in Fort Peck and traveling through reservation and urban neighborhoods in an effort to encourage people to register and inform citizens about issues such as Medicaid expansion.

“Now is the time to build on the resilience of our ancestors and take control of our future and one way to do that is by taking control of choosing our leaders,” Western Native Voice field manager Alissa Snow said.

The votes of Native American people are proving to be very important to candidates in recent voting years with Congressional candidate Denise Juneau, Governor Steve Bullock and Senator Jon Tester largely crediting their success to the Native American voters in previous election years.

Native Americans have only been able to vote since 1965 with their voting numbers being low historically. In addition, candidates have had a tendency to overlook Indian communities when campaigning nationwide.

“Our communities are in crisis. We’re hurting. We’re losing our loved ones at alarming rates to drugs alcohol and disease so voting isn’t at the front of everyone’s mind. They don’t see the connection between voting and long-term solutions to today’s problems,” Snow said.

For the Native Americans in Montana voting gives the people a chance to make changes to their communities on a national, state, local and tribal level with tribal elections also taking place on many reservations this fall.

Western Native Voice is working to help people overcome obstacles associated with getting to the polls in Indian Country. Since their inception in 2011, they have registered thousands.

“We’re here to remind them that they have the power to create change—change that will improve the lives of their families for generations to come. Voting is just one way to realize that power.” Snow said.

“Natives on the Votepath” will be on the Flathead Reservation from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Aug. 2-3. They will be in Missoula during the same hours on Aug. 4.