Native American Voters

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American Indians are a forgotten group in the political arguments of the eastern establishment. A lot of Western states would also like to pretend they don’t exist. Despite the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, many Indians could not vote in federal elections until 1956. State elections were even more off-limits. Maine and Arizona were the last hold-outs. So will Native Americans exercise their rights to vote, and if so, for whom?

An early Native American presidential forum attracted only three candidates, when there were a great many more in the race: Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. It was a huge disappointment to Native voters.

Hillary Clinton had an American Indian policy early on, with eleven key points that included appointing Indians to key federal departments and bureaus, and not just those limited to the narrow field of “Indian Affairs,” but to offices dealing with mainstream issues. Native Americans also hope Clinton will implement a policy that was stalled by the Bush administration, to have more control over developing federal Indian policy. Since 2006, many western Native people have been behind Hillary Clinton.

Since Obama’s entry into the race, though, middle state and eastern Native Americans especially have opened up to his candidacy. While many wish he had an explicit policy on Native Americans and was not so negative about gaming, they are open to an Obama run. Obama has recently addressed issues such as health care on the reservations and has said he will appoint an annual meeting of tribal leaders, but he didn’t explain what effect or power that meeting would have.

Some Indians remain skeptical of promises by any candidate to include them, but their experience with Bill Clinton’s administration, while not 100% positive, was better than with many other administrations.

While gaming is not the only issue that interests American Indians, who also care a lot about the economy, health care, autonomy over their lands, tribal courts, education, the environment and many other issues, it is a critical issue because it is seen as perhaps the only chance for tribes to have access to the things named above.

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS —

The tribal gaming industry has grown exponentially in the past few years, but not all 2008 presidential candidates are supportive.
According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has concerns about the “moral and social cost” gaming has on smaller communities. As a state senator in his home state, Obama sometimes opposed plans to expand gambling, worrying that it could be harmful to residents of low-income communities.
On the other hand, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., embraces the gaming industry, and has supported her state’s efforts to lure new casinos to economically struggling communities outside New York City.

McCain is never even mentioned in the Indian press as a viable candidate despite his being from Arizona, or perhaps because of it.

Obviously Native Americans cannot decide a presidential election and so as a constituency, they are often ignored. But Native concerns should be issues that all Americans care about. In a state like Indiana, they make up only .3% of registered voters, according to CNN polls. Even in Oregon, they are 1.3% of voters. Yet American Indians have swung everything from local to large elections in states like Arizona, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Washington.

Native Americans suffer from terrible discrimination, despite the image white Americans bestow upon them in films and literature and pop culture. While 1 in 9 black men will go to prison between the ages of 24 and 34, and 1 in 154 white Americans will. Native peoples, in states where they make up a larger percentage of the population, can make up 25% of inmates. Since felony convictions often result in removal of the right to vote, minority populations remain at an even bigger disadvantage than whites. Having finally received an apology from Congress this year, one that was barely covered in the press, it remains to be seen whether politicians will notice the indigenous people of North America.

Montana’s primary is June 3. While hardly anyone is watching yet, it may be an important campaign. Six percent of Montana’s voters are Native American.

Sources: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/06/jodirave/rave09.txt

http://www.reznetnews.org/article/election-2008/two-words-obama-didn%2526%2523039%3Bt-say:-native-americans

http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/features/local_story_028160000.html?keyword=topstory

http://http://2008central.net/2007/08/23/american-indian-presidential-forum-attracts-only-3-candidates/

http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3079&Itemid=1

The book “Native Vote” is published by the Cambridge University Press. For more information please visit: www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521548717  

 

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