Indianz.Com > News > Cronkite News: Native voting rights bill caught up in partisan debate
Navajo president backs bill to protect Native American voting rights
Friday, October 22, 2021
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez told a Senate panel Wednesday that special protections are needed to reverse the “very disrespectful” treatment of Native Americans who face extraordinary challenges in the voting process.
Nez joined others urging a Senate Judiciary subcommittee to support the Native American Voting Rights Act, which would set minimum federal requirements for voting on tribal lands, including early voting, mail-in balloting, ballot collecting and ID standards. [H.R.5008 | S.2702]
“It’s not about Democrat or Republican,” Nez said. “It’s about doing the right thing.”
This includes addressing the many voting barriers that are unique to Native Americans, such as the lack of voting locations on reservations, which makes it difficult for them to vote, Nez said.
“Traveling to polling places can be particularly burdensome,” he said.
Native American Voting Rights Act Social Media Toolkit: vote.narf.org
Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Senate Committee on the Judiciary / Subcommittee on The Constitution
Restoring the Voting Rights Act: Protecting the Native American and Alaska Native Vote (October 20, 2021)
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