U.S (NATIVE ORGANIZERS ALLIANCE ACTION FUND) : Prevent entrenched minority rule; Ban partisan gerrymandering.

 

 

 

 

 

Friend,

 

Once again, politicians are selecting their voters, not the other way around. When the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act and decided partisan gerrymandering was not prohibited by the 14th Amendment, it opened the door to expanded voter suppression across the country.

Indian Country has a big role to play in local, state, and national elections. So much is at stake, from the climate crisis and healthcare to education and Tribal sovereignty.

In fact, Indigenous peoples are incredibly politically engaged with 77% participating in the last election, despite 27% reporting in our Indigenous Futures survey of having experienced barriers to voting and 95% distrusting the federal government.

In Nebraska, Tribes had to take enforcement action against Thurston County to demand equal representation -- again.

Most districts are redrawn every ten years, following the U.S. Census, and the current proposed redistricting includes some of the worst gerrymandering we’ve seen. Partisan redistricting practices have had the effect of enforcing systemic racism, impacting Native and Tribal communities.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Congress can fix the gutted Voting Rights Act and ban partisan gerrymandering to require proportional redistricting in every community in all fifty states.

SIGN THE PETITION

Last year, the U.S. House passed two bills to protect voting rights from partisan gerrymandering: the For the People Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Without the 60 votes in the Senate needed to overcome the filibuster, legislation to protect our democracy was doomed. Both bills went down to defeat without even coming to a vote.

Voting can help shape government decisions that have direct impacts on our communities. Too many Native people still encounter enormous difficulties registering to vote and casting their ballots. The lesson isn’t to give up and stop trying. It’s to keep working at building the support and political power we need to win.

In fact, nine states with large Native communities, including Arizona, Colorado and Montana, have passed laws requiring fair redistricting done by a non-partisan independent commission. We saw in the 2022 midterm elections that the independent commission drawn districts in Michigan finally brought the results in individual districts in line with the statewide results and the balance of registered voters by political party, proving just how effective this reform can be.^[1]

Don’t leave it up to the state legislatures. Only Congress can enact this critical reform nationwide. Tell Congress to act now to prohibit partisan gerrymandering in all fifty states by adding your name now.

Hawwih (thank you) for taking this action to protect our rights to fair and proportional representation across the country. Our democracy depends on it. 

 

 

 

Judith Le Blanc (Caddo)
Executive Director

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^{[1] Michigan Legislature: Redistricting paves way for Democrats to seize control}