- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota’s legislature considered two laws involving tribal IDs over the past week, rejecting a voter registration measure and advancing a proposed law that would require businesses to accept tribal IDs as proof of age and identity.
Last week, the Republican-controlled House defeated a proposed amendment to a voter registration bill that would have allowed Native Americans to use their tribal IDs when registering to vote. Claiming that the secretary of state wouldn’t be able to verify information on the tribal-issued IDs, Republicans voted down the measure.
House Democrats criticized the rejection on the voter registration matter.
“The way our voting system is set up does disenfranchise in particular Native American voters,” Rep. Ryan Cwach, a Democrat, told the Associated Press.
Then yesterday, a Senate committee gave its support to a proposed law that would require businesses to accept IDs issued by tribes as proof of age and identity.
Democratic Sen. Troy Heinert introduced the bill after several tribal members told him that some businesses weren’t accepting their tribal IDs. South Dakota already has a law that requires banks to accept tribal IDs. Heinert’s new measure, which passed committee and will move to a vote by the full Senate, will help clarify that tribal IDs can be accepted for all business transactions.
In 2011, the state of South Dakota first enacted a law to make the tribal ID a recognized form of identification. In recent years, South Dakota tribes have improved their IDs with holographics and other security features. Federal agencies recognize tribal IDs, which can be used for passing through airport security or to verify identity during elections.
Support Independent Indigenous Journalism
Native News Online is an independent, Indigenous-led newsroom with a crucial mission: We want to change the narrative about Indian Country. We do this by producing intelligent, fact-based journalism that tells the full story from all corners of Indian Country. We pride ourselves on covering the tribes you may have never heard of before and by respecting and listening to the communities we serve through our reporting. As newsrooms across the country continue to shrink, coverage of Indian Country is more important than ever, and we are committed to filling this ever-present hole in journalism.
Because we believe everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities, the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. But we hope it inspires you to make a gift to Native News Online so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount, big or small, gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
