Native Vote Launches National Grassroots Media Campaign “Every Native Vote Counts”

The National Congress of American Indians launched a national grassroots media campaign today alongside leading national Native media organizations to encourage Native people to register to vote and participate in the 2012 national election. The new campaign titled “Every Native Vote Counts” is part of the organization’s ongoing non-partisan voter outreach effort, Native Vote. With a goal of turning out the largest Native vote in history in 2012 NCAI reached out to members of the media to participate in the campaign and hopes these critical partners are joined by many more in the coming weeks.

“Turning out the largest Native vote in history requires all of Indian Country working together and the Native media will play a critical role in reaching our goal. These Native media partners are volunteering the air waves – radio and television, the print media, and the web to send Indian Country an important message, ‘Every Native Vote Counts’,” said Jefferson Keel, President of NCAI, the nation’s oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization. “We are excited that so many Native media outlets have stepped forward to support this national effort. This message should be part of every community gathering between now and November 6, 2012.”

Native Vote has produced over a dozen Public Service Announcements (PSAs) available in video and audio for download, broadcast, and online sharing available at NativeVote.org. Additionally there are a range of materials that can be printed and distributed in communities. The PSA videos and radio spots feature messages from tribal citizens, mothers and fathers, veterans, elders, tribal leaders, celebrities, and athletes.

The national grassroots media campaign is also helping to register Native voters online. Participating websites will provide voters with the ability to register using Native Vote’s partner tools. Through a new partnership with Turbo Vote, Native Vote is making it easy for voters to register to vote online at http://nativevote.turbovote.org – a tool which makes registering to vote as easy as ordering a DVD from Netflix. Turbo Vote delivers voter registration materials to an individual’s home with a pre-stamped envelope.

Native vote has partnered with the following national Native media organizations and companies to promote civic participation and voter registration among Native people. Initial Native media partners participating in the “Every Native Vote Counts” campaign include:

• First Nations Experience – FNX Television; member of the World Indigenous Broadcast Network - broadcast of video PSAs, social media promotion, and online voter registration;

• Kohanic Broadcast Corporation; airing radio PSA’s across a variety of nationally broadcast radio shows, online voter registration, and social media promotion;

• Native American Public Telecommunications; video PSA distribution to public television stations and social media promotion;

• Native American Times; online voter registration and social media promotion;

• NativeNewsNetwork.com; online voter registration, video PSA promotion, and social media promotion;

• Native Public Media; distribution of radio PSAs to 53 Native radio stations;

• Native Sun News; print advertising distribution in weekly newspaper;

Tribal newspapers, radio stations, television stations, online destinations, and other media outlets are encouraged to join the effort by disseminating the campaign’s PSAs and encouraging voter registration via social media, television, radio, and print publications.

To sign up to participate and download content, partners are urged to go to the following location: http://www.nativevote.org/page/media-campaign.

About the Native Vote Media Partners

First Nations Experience, a member of the World Indigenous Broadcast Network, is the first general public, multimedia venture in the United States. The channel is the result of a shared vision between the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and PBS. Through Native-produced and/or themed documentaries, dramatic series and arts programming, the FNX Channel illustrates the lives and cultures of Native American and indigenous people around the world. http://www.fnx.org

Koahnic Broadcast Corporation (KBC), is a nonprofit, Alaska Native governed and operated media center located in Anchorage, Alaska. KBC’s national programming, is a selection of radio programming that is broadcast by public and tribal radio stations across the country. KBC's national programming includes National Native News, Native America Calling, Earthsongs, Stories of Our People, and Native Word of the Day. KNBA 90.3 FM, the first Native radio station located in an urban market. http://www.kbnr.org

Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT), shares Native stories with the world through support of the creation, promotion and distribution of Native media. Founded in 1977, through various media--Public Television, Public Radio and the Internet--NAPT brings awareness of Indian and Alaska Native issues. All aspects of our programs encourage the involvement of young people to learn more about careers in the media--to be the next generation of storytellers. NAPT is located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. http://www.nativetelecom.org

Native American Times, is an independent national American Indian newspaper based in Oklahoma and publishes content on the web. http://www.nativetimes.com

NativeNewsNetwork.com, is a national online American Indian news website and community. http://www.nativenewsnetwork.com

Native Public Media, is a non-profit organization, with a mission is to promote healthy, engaged and independent Native Communities through media access, control and ownership. http://www.nativepublicmedia.org

Native Sun News, is a leading Native owned weekly newspaper published out of Rapid City, South Dakota. http://www.nsweekly.com