This story warms my heart in a dark and dirty political year. The Paiute Native American tribe in Nevada has not had an easy time voting, as can be common for residents of Reservations. For the residents of the Pyramid Lake reservation, that meant a forty five minute or longer drive in each direction to reach the closest polling place. When they got there, it wasn’t necessarily uncommon to see a Sheriff or deputy next to the door, thumbs tucked into their gun belts, scowling at Americans coming in to exercise their right to vote. Not a lot of fun, any wonder why Native American voter participation is usually down.
But not anymore! After a years long battle, not just to register and GOTV in Reservation communities, and after a years long court battle assisted by the Four Directions group, a Nevada court ruled that the plaintiff reservations must have satellite polling places, staffed with qualified polling workers, and including early voting! The two Reservations affected are The Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, and the Walker River Paiute Reservation. How kewl is that?!? Native Americans not having to drive at least forty five minutes in each direction just to cast a ballot?
And it turns out they love it! On the Pyramid Lake Reservation, in four hours of open early voting, 53 people cast their ballots. And on the Walker River Reservation, they had 24 people show up in 4 hours, most of whom have never voted in their lives. They had 77 people show up to vote, and they’re just getting started! This is what democracy looks like when it works! Here is a link to a local ARTICLE covering the event if you’d like to read more.
I won’t speak for everybody here, but this is why I do what I do. Activism ain’t easy, and it ain’t glamorous. It takes time, and it can be as frustrating as hell to keep banging your head up against the wall. But when it works, the effect can be empowering, important, and most of all long lasting. My personal congratulations to the Tribes for finally getting their rights. It is a proud day for all of us.
Thanks as always for reading, you are ALL the wind beneath my wings!
If you want to become a sponsor to keep me able to do this on pretty much a daily basis, you can sponsor me HERE . It is totally voluntary, I will continue to post for as long as possible. It will be a recurring monthly sponsorship, so if you do, keep the amount within your comfort zone.
