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The Making of Modern America: The United
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Made by History Article
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 The Fight for the Native American Vote is Far From Over
The fight for voting rights in America is often seen as an issue of 20th century history, with
bills such as the 19th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act remembered as ground breaking
steps forward that enfranchised all US citizens. However, to this day, the right for minority
groups to vote in elections is still being targeted by the federal and state governments.

Through the process of redistricting, limited access to voting polls, lack of education, and
direct preventative legislation, many Native Americans are prevented from voting and thus
have a severely limited impact on US politics. This is heavily overlooked by the public as it is
not covered sufficiently by the media or state representatives, however, certain groups are
now pushing a Native American Voting Rights Act that could alter the course of US politics
forever.

With an estimated population of 6.79 million, Native Americans comprise 2.09% of the US
population, and have proven in previous elections, namely the 2016 Presidential election, that
they can have a deciding impact on the political process when the results could jeopardise
their rights, including traditional practices, self-government or voting rights.

Since its foundation the US has attacked the civil rights of its First Peoples, arguably out of
fear and resentment towards a group they saw as unrightfully occupying land that white
settlers divinely deserved through Manifest Destiny and ideas of American Exceptionalism.
This trend manifests in the exclusion of Native Americans from the Fourteenth Amendment,
with Senator Jacob Howard explaining that he was ‘not yet prepared’ to allow them to
‘become my fellow-citizens and go to the polls and vote with me’. Hence, Native Americans
were not granted citizenship until the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which acted as the first
acknowledgment of their existence as a part of the American electorate.

Accordingly, it is clear that any progressive legislation has been historically limited in impact
and coloured by racist and exceptionalist values and that this, to some extent, is still the case
today.

Despite having a constitutional right to participate in the political process, only 66% of eligible
Native American voters are registered and voter turnout is an estimated 1-10% lower than
any other ethnic group. Instead of resolving this issue, federal and state governments have
continued to neglect the unique challenges to Native Americans and introduce more barriers
between tribes and political participation. With a national poverty rate of 25.4%, Native
Americans remain the poorest ethnic minority in America, with some describing tribal lands
as ‘third world countries’ within US borders. Combined with their isolated geography and lack
of political education, their economic status acts as another key factor in determining why
Native voter turnout is so low.

Thus, many tribes are geographically isolated and do not have the money or resources to
travel into urban areas and vote traditionally. Does this mean they should not get to vote? Or
that the government must enforce voting practices that are accessible for Native Americans
and encourage them to contribute to politics?

As mentioned this issue is not new, and similar barriers have been used historically, like
when Native Americans were originally given citizenship. The 1924 Indian Citizenship Act
was a double edged sword: despite granting full citizenship to Native Americans, the Act was
drastically limited in effect as it gave states the ability to determine Native’s voting rights in
their borders. Thus, many states resorted to alternative methods to discourage them from
using their newfound suffrage, such as voter ID laws which are still in use today. Particularly
in states such as Kansas, Wisconsin and Tennessee, strict voter ID laws are in place that
require a traditional address and photo ID that Native Americans are disproportionately less
likely to own.

Many tribes are based on vast, barren tribal lands of up to 24,425 square miles, with no
public transport, little infrastructure or development and situated far away from voting
stations, making it difficult or impossible for many to engage in the act of physically voting.
When analysed it is clear that a large amount of the progressive legislation or changes to the
voting system that do aid Native Americans, were only taken after Native Americans offered
their own help. For example, early voting stations were permitted in Alaska only after
underpaid workers from the tribes themselves volunteered to run them. This demonstrates
the sacrifices made by Native Americans just to exercise their own suffrage; sacrifices other
ethnic groups don’t have to make.

Another approach taken by the government to limit Native Americans' impact on politics is
partisan gerrymandering, which redistricts certain Democratic tribes into Republican state
lines and under republican representatives such as that in Arizona earlier this year. The
redesigned district borders of Arizona have redistricted Native American land which will
further limit the impact of the power secured in the Voting Rights Act (1965) as a white
majority will predictably overpower the percentage of Native voters and make it extremely
difficult for them to advocate for and progress Native issues.

Looking forward, if the state and federal governments gave Native Americans easier access
to paper registration forms, mail votes or organised in-person drives through reservations, it
is more likely that Natives would have their say. Additionally, there is a push to pass a Native
American Voting Rights Act that would dismantle the current barriers in place, as outlined in
the 2020 report ‘Obstacles at Every Turn: Barriers to Political Participation Faced by Native
American Voters’, that prevent Native Americans from exercising their right to vote, including
linguistic, economic and geographic factors. The Act has been incorporated in the John R.
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and is awaiting passage from Congress, but if passed
will have a monumental impact on the voting rights of Native Americans, and hopefully
change a system that has historically neglected its First Peoples.
Bibliography

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Vote in a World of Coronavirus. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at:
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