South Dakota county approves Indian districts

Friday, March 16, 2007  

Commissioners in Charles Mix County, South Dakota, approved a new map that creates two districts with a high percentage of Indian voters.

One district is 58 percent Indian while the other is 41 percent Indian. The county says the new districts give members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe a bigger voice.

But the American Civil Liberties Union says the system dilutes the power of the Indian vote. The group won a ruling against Charles Mix County in a Voting Rights Act lawsuit.

Although the system includes the new districts, the overall Indian presence is diminished because the county commission now has five seats instead of three, the ACLU says. A lawsuit is being considered.

Get the Story:
Charles Mix Commissioners OK Districts (The Yankton Press and Dakotan 3/16)
pwlat

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