Native Voting Rights and Civic Participation

As 2023 comes to an end, The Sentinel looks ahead to next year and the 2024 US Presidential Election. Campaigning and debates will soon dominate the news in advance of voters heading to the polls in November. In this episode of The Sentinel, we examine the ongoing barriers that American Indian and Alaska Native citizens face while exercising the right to vote. We take a look back at NCAI's historical advocacy in fighting against the disenfranchisement of Native voters, since the organization's very start.  The Sentinel welcomes Jacqueline DeLeón (Pueblo of Isleta), Staff Attorney from Native American Rights Fund. As lead of the Voting Rights practice group, and co-author of the 2020 report  Obstacles at Every Turn: Barriers to Political Participation by Native American Voters, Ms. DeLeón brings a wealth of knowledge to this subject. She offers key insights into the obstacles Native voters face and the work that partner organizations and individuals are doing to eliminate them.  Lastly, Saundra Mitrovich (Tyme and Yahomee Maidu), NCAI's Manager of External Engagement and Civic Engagement Lead, joins us for a conversation about the US Census and the remapping of voting districts. We learn more about NCAI's participation in the CHARGE coalition and its recent report card, which grades all 50 states on their redistricting progress. She speaks with us about the Census and how undercounting in Native communities impacts the ability for Tribal Communities to achieve fair representation in the electoral process.