The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 28, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

The ink wasn’t yet dry on the Indian Citizens Act of 1924 when voter suppression of Native Americans began.  Natives have been fighting for their right to register and vote, proper representation, and fair voting districts ever since.

The Brennan Center for Justice writes that for decades, Arizona disenfranchised Native citizens because they were, QUOTE, “Persons under guardianship.”  New Mexico’s constitution stipulated that people who didn’t pay taxes, including Natives on reservations, could not vote.  

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited these suppression tactics.  But the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby decision opened a floodgate of new Native suppression in Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Nevada and other states.

Recently, proof of citizenship and voter ID laws have targeted Natives, some of whom don’t have an ID, or live in remote areas without street numbers.  Counties have used “at-large” voting districts to dilute Native voting power, or removed drop boxes or polling places, forcing voters to drive sometimes more than a hundred miles to vote.  

What can be done?  The federal Native American Voting Rights Act is stuck in Congress, but New Mexico passed its own version in 2023.  The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act restores protections stripped from the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the Freedom to Vote Act would expand voting access for ALL Americans.  

We have resources at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Native American Rights Fund – (2020) Obstacles at Every Turn
Brennan Center for Justice – How Voter Suppression Laws Target Native Americans
NPR – Sometimes overlooked by campaigns, Native voters could decide major elections in 2024

Split Ticket – The Largest Native American Voting Blocs
Intermountain Histories – Trujillo v. Garley: The Struggle for Native American Voting Rights
The White House – (2022) REPORT OF THE INTERAGENCY STEERING GROUP ON NATIVE AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren – Native American Voting Rights Act
U.S. Congress – John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Groups Taking Action:

Native American Rights Fund, Native Vote, National Congress of American Indians, Declaration for American Democracy

Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NativeVote #VoterSuppression #JohnLewisAct #FreedomtoVoteAct

The post Voter Suppression of Native Americans is on the Rise.  Three Pieces of Pending Legislation Could End It. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 21, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Early voting is well under way in 22 states, and will be joined by another 11 states Oct. 21st and 22nd.   But if you’re not registered in Pennsylvania, Alabama or South Dakota, your time runs out by the end of day on Oct. 21st.  

On Monday and Tuesday, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, South Carolina, Texas, Hawaii, Missouri, Utah, and Wisconsin begin early voting.  Depending on your state’s rules, that could mean early in-person voting, or by mail, or both.   Seven more states, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and New York begin later in the week.

Monday October 21st, voter registration closes in the battleground state of Pennsylvania for the November 5th general election, as do Alabama and South Dakota.   Other states closing registrations later this week are Nebraska, Massachusetts and New York, none of which, for voters who miss those deadlines, offer election-day registration.

Voter registration has already closed in 22 states, and none of those states offer election day registration, either.    

Voting early can mean shorter lines, less hassle and if you’re voting by mail, sometimes a chance to fix minor mistakes on your ballot. 

We’ve linked information on early voting and registration deadlines for all these states at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

To view the whole script of today’s report, please go to our website.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
BallotPedia – Voter registration deadlines, 2024

BallotPedia –  2024 election and voting dates
National Conference of State Legislatures – Same Day/Election Day Voter Registration
Vote.gov – Register to Vote by State
Pennsylvania Voter Services – Voter Registration Application
Alabama Secretary of State – Register to Vote / Update Your Information
South Dakota Secretary of State –  Register to Vote, Update Voter Registration or Cancel Voter Registration

Check Your Voter Registration/State Information on Registering:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #EarlyVoting #VoterRegistration #RegistertoVote 

The post Early Voting Begins in 18 States This Week, But Voter Registration Ends in 6 States.  You Can’t Vote If You’re Not Registered.  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 14, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

The ink wasn’t yet dry on the Indian Citizens Act of 1924 when voter suppression of Native Americans began.  Natives have been fighting for their right to register and vote, proper representation, and fair voting districts ever since.

The Brennan Center for Justice writes that for decades, Arizona disenfranchised Native citizens because they were, QUOTE, “Persons under guardianship.”  New Mexico’s constitution stipulated that people who didn’t pay taxes, including Natives on reservations, could not vote.  

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited these suppression tactics.  But the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby decision opened a floodgate of new Native suppression in Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Nevada and other states.

Recently, proof of citizenship and voter ID laws have targeted Natives, some of whom don’t have an ID, or live in remote areas without street numbers.  Counties have used “at-large” voting districts to dilute Native voting power, or removed drop boxes or polling places, forcing voters to drive sometimes more than a hundred miles to vote.  

What can be done?  The federal Native American Voting Rights Act is stuck in Congress, but New Mexico passed its own version in 2023.  The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act restores protections stripped from the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the Freedom to Vote Act would expand voting access for ALL Americans.  

We have resources at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Native American Rights Fund – (2020) Obstacles at Every Turn
Brennan Center for Justice – How Voter Suppression Laws Target Native Americans
NPR – Sometimes overlooked by campaigns, Native voters could decide major elections in 2024

Split Ticket – The Largest Native American Voting Blocs
Intermountain Histories – Trujillo v. Garley: The Struggle for Native American Voting Rights
The White House – (2022) REPORT OF THE INTERAGENCY STEERING GROUP ON NATIVE AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren – Native American Voting Rights Act
U.S. Congress – John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

National Conference of State Legislatures – Recently Enacted Legislation Impacting Native American Voters

Groups Taking Action:

Native American Rights Fund, Native Vote, National Congress of American Indians, Declaration for American Democracy

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

Please follow us on Facebook and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NativeVote #VoterSuppression #JohnLewisAct #FreedomtoVoteAct

The post Suppression of Native American Voters is on the Rise.  Three Pieces of Pending Legislation Could Stop It. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for May 10, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

May 7th, South Dakota democracy advocates submitted the necessary signatures to put a constitutional amendment establishing a ‘top two’ open primary system on the ballot.  The ballot question would allow the 150,000 independent voters whose tax dollars underwrite the primary to actually vote in it.

On Monday, South Dakota Open Primaries submitted 25% more than the required 35,000 signatures necessary for state constitutional amendments, according to the Secretary of State figures.   

The measure establishes a single ballot open primary for congressional, gubernatorial, state legislature and county offices.  All candidates, regardless of party, would run on the same ballot, but a party affiliation is listed.   The top two candidates advance to the general election, again, regardless of party. 

Such a system allows all voters to participate in the primary, including independents and third party voters. South Dakota’s current system is closed, allowing only voters registered with that party to use that party’s ballot.  Likewise, open primaries allow independent & third party candidates to run on the same ballot, giving voters more choice. 

Because candidates must appeal to voters not registered with that party, open primaries help to limit partisan polarization, and offer more choice.  The South Dakota Republican Party Chair told the South Dakota Searchlight, “We are 110% opposed to the idea.”   Open primaries are often paired with ranked choice voting, but South Dakota Republicans have banned its use.   

We have links to the ballot question text and an explainer on open primaries at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

May 7th, South Dakota democracy advocates submitted the necessary signatures to put a constitutional amendment establishing a ‘top two’ open primary system on the ballot.  The ballot question would allow the 150,000 independent voters whose tax dollars underwrite the primary to actually vote in it.

To view the whole script of today’s report, please go to our website.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
South Dakota Searchlight – Open primary push to see opposition from state Republican Party
South Dakota Secretary of State – Text of Top 2 Open Primary Petition
South Dakota Open Primaries – SD Open Primaries Explained

South Dakota Secretary of State – Breakdown of Voter Affililation, May 1, 2024
Dakota News Now – Petitions establishing top-two primary elections, legalizing recreational cannabis submitted just before deadline
Open Primaries Education Fund – Types of Primaries

Groups Taking Action:
South Dakota Open Primaries, Open Primaries

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #OpenPrimaries #SDOpenPrimaries  #Letthemvote #SouthDakotaNews

The post South Dakota Democracy Advocates Submit Ballot Measure Signatures for a ‘Top 2’ Single Ballot Open Primary System.  If Approved, All Voters Get a Voice in the Primary appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for July 14, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time) 

Today’s Links now below the script

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

We’re in South Dakota today where a new report issued by the bipartisan U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that Native Americans still face barriers to voting, like distance to a polling place, gerrymandered districts, and confusing voter ID rules.    

The Commission’s South Dakota Advisory Committee surveyed native voters and found most traveled long distances to vote in person or to drop off a mail-in ballot due to the lack of rural mail delivery.  The committee recommended mobile voting centers, use of accessible Indian Health Centers and Veterans Affairs offices as polling locations, more drop boxes, and increases in U.S. Postal Service locations.   

By South Dakota law, voting materials may only appear in English. The advisory committee found that 11,000 tribal members spoke a native language at home, and language was a barrier for voting. It recommended repeal of South Dakota’s English-only law, use of federal HAVA funds to provide alternate language materials, and additional poll worker education on the use of interpreters.

The survey also found suspicion of non-native government, including during the voter registration process.  Other’s surveyed noted the intimidating presence of law enforcement at polling places.  The committee encouraged the South Dakota state government to pass a state version of the Native American Voting Rights Act, which could access federal funding to implement THEIR recommendations and others.  

We have a link to the report at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights –  Report:  Voting Rights and Access in South Dakota
South Dakota Searchlight – Civil rights committee finds Native voting rights impeded, finalizes recommendations
Library of Congress –  Voting Rights for Native Americans
Brigham Young University – Poll Booth Proximity, Tribal ID, and Bilingual Accessibility:
Three Provisions to Increase Native American Turnout in the Native American Voting Rights Act Of 2019
Sioux Falls Argus Leader – Native Americans’ right to vote has always been a question in South Dakota

Groups Taking Action:

Native American Rights Fund, Four Directions Native Vote

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Get ADM Radio Report email!  Sign up here!

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotingRights #NativeVote

The post U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Report Recommends Changes to Reduce Barriers to Voting for South Dakota’s Native Americans appeared first on American Democracy Minute.