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
DONATE TODAY
[1] Michigan Legislature: Redistricting paves way for Democrats to seize control