"The simple fact that Oglala Sioux Tribe members filled out ballots and slid them into slots in bright blue boxes on November 2 was a victory for equal rights. According to tribal member and South Dakota state legislator Kevin Killer, the months of continual and ever-changing efforts to repress, and even shut down, Oglala participation in the national election steeled voters' resolve. "Everything that happened made clear the power of our vote and encouraged our people to come out today," Killer said.

Standing in the parking lot of the gas station across from the precinct in the center of Pine Ridge village, the largest town on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Killer watched fellow Oglala Lakotas transform the fear-mongering, race-baiting, and inanity of election 2010 into a celebration of citizenship. Kids at each corner of the nearby crossroads danced and shook brightly colored placards proclaiming, "Vote." Parades of cars and pickups with similar signs wound around the precinct, and the catchphrase of the day was "honk if you're for voting."

Though Killer was enjoying the festivities, he also had his mind on serious matters. With half the population of Pine Ridge under age 18 and an unemployment rate of 85%, desperately-needed economic development must happen sooner rather than later, so jobs await these young folks as they move into their twenties, he said. This year, Killer ran unopposed in his district and when the 30-year-old Democrat starts his second two-year term in the legislature, he'll focus on employment and financial opportunities in renewable energy, particularly wind, which the Northern Plains has in abundance. He's also planning to ensure that redistricting resulting from the 2010 Census does not cause Native people to lose representation unfairly. "If we don't accomplish these things, matters will get worse," he said. "

Get the Story:
Stephanie Woodard: A Victory for Democracy on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (The Huffington Post 11/8)

Related Stories:
Opinion: Oglala Sioux Tribe secures voting rights for members (10/5)
Opinion: Indian voting rights at risk in South Dakota county feud (9/21)