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- By Neely Bardwell
Native Vote 2024. Election Day is now only days away, and the presidential race is tight. New York Times polls show that the Vice President Harris and former President Trump are essentially tied in states like Nevada, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, In states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona, there is even movement towards Trump.
Right now, the Native vote matters more than ever.
Founder and Director of Protect the Sacred, Allie Young (Diné) has been working diligently this election to activate voters, inspire youth, and engage her Native community. Young estimates around new 100 voters registered to vote at their events, and over 600 others have engaged with their online presence to check registration status, and “tune-up” their voting plan.
In 2020, Young started “Ride to the Polls” as a way to get those living in Navajo Nation territory to the polls, combating the barrier of limited polling stations in the area.
What do you want Native voters to consider as we head into election day?
I want Native people to remember our history and the fight of our ancestors. I want us to remember that and think about how we contribute to the legacy of survival and resilience that comes from our ancestors. I want us to ground ourselves.
That's why we do the Election Day trail ride. It's more than horseback riding. It's more than Natives on horseback. It's more than a trail ride. It's meant to ground our people and those who are riding with us before we get to that polling location. It's about tapping into what we call horse medicine that reconnects us to Mother Earth and restores the spiritual balance for us.
I've had conversations with some of our riders along the trail, and you know they talk about how the ride impacted the way that they showed up at the polling location, because riding in our ancestral homelands, in our sacred homelands, was a great reminder for them about what they're fighting for.
I want our Native people to connect to whatever that is for them, and to be reminded of this legacy that we come from, and to continue to fight for that.
How do you think the energy compares to that of 2020?
I would say the engagement and the excitement this year was at a historic high. In 2020, when the polling results came out, the Native vote was really what made the difference in the state of Arizona and other battleground states. This momentum has been building, and I think it made people really realize our power and our influence.
Our people are reclaiming our space and our place in the voting context, in democracy, and really calling on the rest of the world to give us our flowers. Democracy is Indigenous. Arizona has Indigenous DNA. This country has Indigenous DNA, and our people are proud of that and what we've been able to accomplish since 2020.
Even our young people are really excited about being engaged. Some of the high school students that we've been working with, several of them have come out and volunteered. They're in high school. They're like, 14 years old, 15 years old, and they came out and volunteered at our bull riding event at the walk to the polls. Our young people are wanting to get involved at a much younger age.
How are you feeling going into Election Day?
I feel confident that the Native voter turnout is going to shatter records. I think we're going to see just an incredible Native voter turnout, and especially because this year, there are more Native politicians, Native leaders, running for office than ever before. It’s really exciting for us to see our own people, and we want to see them elected.
I think that's a reason that folks will be coming out, getting out the vote. There's a lot at stake in this election. I've been saying that our tribal sovereignty is at stake, and I know that our people will fight to protect our tribal sovereignty and to ensure that it is respected. It's a scary election, but I'm confident that the world will see our power as a Native community.
What issues do you think Native people are taking to the polls with them?
I think tribal sovereignty is at the top of the list. Climate change too, especially for our young people, abortion access, and I think for Indigenous women that matters a lot. Reproductive justice has been a fight for us as Indigenous women, from the slow pace and chronic underfunding of Indian Health Service (IHS), to reproductive access for Native women in this country.
I think it comes down to considering who will bring Native people to the table, hear us out, and invite us to be a part of these critical conversations and decisions that impact Native communities.
We think about Secretary Haaland at the Department of the Interior, it's been historic to have her in that position. We just saw the President apologize to the Native American community for the Indian boarding schools, and that wouldn't have ever happened without a Native woman pushing for and advocating for that.
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