"For the first time in my life, I voted early in a general election, almost three weeks before the Nov. 4 deadline.

I voted early because I didn't want any surprises on Nov. 4.

I also have another reason for casting an early ballot this year. It's because I've seen too many people working way too hard to register Native voters in tribal communities. And, to their credit, many of these dedicated volunteers have met or exceeded their goals, particularly on Montana reservations.

I know campaign volunteers who have been working around the clock to encourage Native people to vote in states like Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.

Native people like to believe their vote counts. And some prime examples exist in recent years to prove the Native vote has push selected candidates to victory. Senators in states like Washington, Alaska, Washington, Montana and South Dakota are still thanking Native people for putting them into office.

As Natives, we were the last group given the right to vote when we were formally recognized as U.S. citizens in 1924.

As the original citizens of this country, we should make it a personal priority to be the first to vote."

Get the Story:
Jodi Rave: America's original citizens should be first to cast votes (The Missoulian 10/19)

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