Ranking Member Morelle Releases Voting Rights Report Focused on Native Americans’ Experience
Ranking Member Morelle Releases
Voting Rights Report
Focused on Native Americans’ Experience
The “Voting for Native Peoples: Barriers and Policy Solutions” report delves deep into Native American voting rights and policy solutions
Washington, D.C. — Today, Ranking Member Joe Morelle (NY-25), top Democrat of the Committee on House Administration, released a report entitled “Voting for Native Peoples: Barriers and Policy Solutions.” The report delves into the past, present, and future of Native American voting rights and proposes policy solutions to ensure every Native person can cast a ballot and have their voice heard.
Ranking Member Morelle, fellow committee members Reps. Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) along with Reps. Sharice Davids (KS-03), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), and Ruben Gallego (AZ-03), issued the following statements about today’s report.
“Despite the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, states and localities continue to deny Native peoples the full rights of U.S. citizenship, including the most fundamental right– the right to vote,” said Ranking Member Joe Morelle. “Native peoples continue to face substantial and unique barriers to equal participation in federal, state, and local elections. My team prepared this report as part of our work to reconcile these harms. I will continue to work with my colleagues to advance the Native American Voting Rights Act (NAVRA), in addition to the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to ensure equal access to representation for every Native person and that the right to vote is fully realized.”
“As a daughter of Selma and Ranking Member of the Elections Subcommittee, I know that our democracy is strongest when Americans of every background can make their voices heard, and that includes Native communities,” said Congresswoman Sewell, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Elections. “This report shines an important spotlight on the failure of our nation to ensure ballot access for Native American and Tribal communities and the critical need for federal legislation to protect Native voting rights. I applaud Ranking Member Morelle and the hardworking staff at the Committee on House Administration for assembling this report and will continue to partner with the Committee to advance the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, and the Native American Voting Rights Act.”
“The most fundamental right in our democracy is the right to vote. Unfortunately, for too many Americans – including Native Americans – obstacles remain to ensuring their voices are heard at the ballot box,” said Congressman Kilmer. “Today’s report from the minority staff of the House Committee on Administration outlines some of the major impediments Native Americans face when attempting to cast their ballots freely and fairly: inadequate mail service, insufficient polling sites, poor internet, lack of traditional mailing addresses, limited transportation to the polls, and remote geographic locations, among others. We’ve got work to do to ensure the federal government upholds its trust and treaty responsibilities to Native Americans – including ensuring the right to vote. I’ll keep working to ensure Native Americans have the freedom to make their voices heard and their votes counted.”
“Native American communities have long faced significant barriers to voting, from restrictive ID laws to inaccessible polling locations. Ranking Member Morelle's new report highlights these persistent challenges and historical injustices that have disenfranchised Native voters, underscoring the urgent need for legislative action to expand the Native vote,” said Congresswoman Sharice Davids – the primary sponsor of NAVRA. “The Native American Voting Rights Act is a crucial step toward ensuring that all Native peoples can exercise their fundamental right to vote without undue obstacles, and I join the many voices across the country in calling for Congress to pass it.”
“Following the 2020 election, we knew Native Americans were the targets of laws to make it harder for them to vote. We wanted to know more so the Democratic-led Subcommittee on Elections held a series of hearings on how to improve access to voting during the 117th Congress. This report crystallizes what we learned in those hearings: Native Americans experience unique and persistent barriers to participating in elections,” said Congresswoman Leger Fernández. “Recently-passed state laws, including requiring IDs to vote, exacerbate these barriers and harm Native American communities even more. Congress must act to remedy these barriers. That means passing the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Native American Voting Rights Act, and funding to help tribes overcome these barriers. Native Americans were denied the right to vote until the passage of the Citizenship Act in 1924, and now 100 years later, they are still prevented from accessing this sacred right of Democracy. Although Speaker Johnson refuses to take up these voting rights laws, we will not give up until they become the law of the land.”
“As a senior member of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples, I have met with and visited tribes across Arizona, and I have heard extensively about the many barriers to voting in Indian Country. It’s why I fought to pass the PAVA Inclusion Act and expand accessibility for Native voters with disabilities,” said Congressman Gallego. “But more work remains to be done, and that’s where this report comes in. I hope to see the issues it outlines addressed through policy and legislation soon.”
Read the report here.
BACKGROUND:
In advance of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 centennial, Ranking Member Morelle traveled to Arizona and New Mexico to meet with Tribal leaders and learn about the substantial barriers to the ballot Native peoples have faced for decades. Democratic committee staff also travelled to meet with Tribal leaders in Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington to learn about voting barriers specific to their communities. To prepare for the “Voting for Native Peoples: Barriers and Policy Solutions” report, committee staff members also gathered evidence related to voting barriers for Native voters in Nevada, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. You can see stories about the Ranking Member’s travel earlier this year below:
Native voters still face serious barriers to voting in Arizona, leaders tell lawmaker – Arizona Republic
Congressman Morelle, Tribal Leaders Convene for Voting rights Discussion at SCC – O’Odham Action News
Navajo Nation, Congressman Joseph Morelle Meet To Support Native American Voting Rights Act – Indian Gaming
Council meets with Congressman Joseph Morelle in support of Voting Act – Navajo-Hopi Observer
###