Overview:
With concerns about election integrity and potential federal interference mounting, Levi Rickert urges Native voters to cast their ballots in the 2026 midterms to protect tribal sovereignty, defend democracy and shape the future of their nations and communities.
Opinion – Native Vote 2026
Although Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, voting is already underway in many states. Here in Michigan, I have received my absentee ballot and filled it out.
These midterm elections are marked by apprehension and anxiety as voters question the reliability of a political system repeatedly challenged by President Donald Trump, who has denounced mail-in voting while repeatedly using it himself.
A Gallup poll released July 29 found that U.S. adults reported the following concerns about this year’s elections:
- 67% were concerned about political leaders pressuring election officials to change election outcomes.
- 57% were concerned ballots would not be properly handled, counted or secured.
- 52% were concerned about voter intimidation near polling places.
- 40% were concerned about being confronted, followed or recorded while voting.
Those percentages represent respondents who expressed “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of concern. The survey was conducted April 24-June 10.
In our democracy, Americans should not have to worry about whether their ballots will be tampered with or their votes counted. Yet the administration’s efforts to change election rules have given voters more reason to worry.
It appears the Trump administration has purposely sought to cause chaos and inject confusion into the election process that voters want to believe in as a tenet of democracy.
Since taking office in January 2025, the administration has attempted to restrict mail-in voting and impose new federal requirements on elections to continue claims about election fraud and federal involvement in election administration. Frankly, the administration has created a climate in which many voters are left wondering what rules will govern the election and whether their votes will be counted without interference.
Adding to my concern, Time magazine reported in an Oct. 1 interview that Trump would not rule out declaring a national emergency or invoking the Insurrection Act around the midterm elections.
“I’m not committing to anything,” Trump said. “We’re going to see how it plays out in court.”
The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows a president, under specified conditions, to deploy military forces domestically to suppress an insurrection or enforce federal law when ordinary judicial proceedings cannot do so.
While Trump did not announce plans to invoke the law, his refusal to rule it out deepens my concern about federal interference in the election.
That concern makes voting that much more urgent. Certainly, Native voters must vote. As Native Americans, we know historically Native Americans have faced obstacles when it comes to participating in the democratic process.
Native American Rights Fund (NARF) senior staff attorney Jacqueline De León (Isleta Pueblo) described that history in an Aug. 26 announcement accompanying the organization’s 2026 report, Obstacles Persist: According to the Data: “For Native Americans, the right to vote has been obstructed, delayed and denied across two centuries of United States history.”
In late September, I attended the Four Directions Native Vote — Indian Country voter forum at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. The forum focused on the power of Native votes and Native voter access across the United States.
Numerous Native speakers stressed that Native voters can determine close elections, especially when the margin between candidates is smaller than the potential Native electorate.
The forum gave Minnesota candidates a chance to speak directly with Native voters. The discussion addressed how to bring Native youth into the election process and remove language barriers at polling places.
One remark stayed with me. Four Directions CEO OJ Semans, Sr. said: “When you vote, you are voting for your tribe.”
Semans’ point was clear: We must listen to candidates and understand where they stand on the issues that matter to tribal nations and Native people. The people we elect will make decisions that affect our nations long after Election Day.
We know Native Americans confront daily issues that others face, such as affordability issues of having money to buy gas to get to work and to put food on the table for our families. In addition, Native voters want to vote for candidates who understand the importance of protecting our tribal sovereignty, water rights, and land rights. We now worry about the effects of data centers on or near tribal lands.
In this year’s midterm elections, Native voters have an opportunity to make their voices heard about the future of our tribal nations, communities and families.
This year, I was happy when my absentee ballot arrived. I could not wait to fill it out so my vote will be counted to hopefully put guardrails on the current state of chaos this country is facing.
Remember, votes win elections; polls do not.
Thayék gde nwéndëmen – We are all related.
