Native Vote Action Week Kicks off September 24th

Washington, D.C. – Native Americans are turning out in force to join together in one of the largest weeks of voter engagement, education, and non-partisan actions since securing their rightful place at the ballot box in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Native Vote Action Week organized by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and grassroots organizers around the country, will bring together Indian Country in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of civic engagement and increase Native voter participation. With over 130 registration drives, rallies, and events hosted by tribal communities, Native Vote organizers, and organizations serving Indian Country and Native youth will be reaching more than 35,000 people in American Indian and Alaska Native communities during the week.

“Now is a crucial time for Indian Country to work together to get Native Voters registered and ready to go to make our voice heard on November 6th as we participate in national and state elections,” remarked NCAI President Jefferson Keel. Native Vote Action Week is a response to Keel’s call during the January 2012 State of Indian Nations, for the largest Native voter turnout in history. “The Native vote counts for our people, our rights, and our culture. We must raise our voice and remember, that every Native vote counts.”

In June, NCAI the nation’s largest American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization characterized voter engagement in Indian Country as a “civic emergency” - two out of every five eligible American Indian and Alaska Native voters are not registered to vote and in 2008 over 1 million eligible Native voters were unregistered.

September 25, 2012 will mark National Voter Registration Day during which hundreds of national partners, including Native Vote, will register and educate voters, mobilize volunteers, and unite to strengthen American democracy. With key registration and absentee voting application deadlines approaching, Native Vote coordinators are now making a concerted effort to fill the over 1 million voter registration gap in Indian Country.

If you are interested in connecting to a local event coordinator, please contact Tiffany Smalley (tsmalley@ncai.org). See the event listing included in this email.

About Native Vote

Native Vote is a national non-partisan effort of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Native Vote works with community organizers, non-profits, urban Indian centers, tribal governments, and regional organizations to create a strong and permanent infrastructure for election training that highlights voter registration, election protection policies, and voter education. NCAI has been working to protect the Native vote since the organization was founded in1944. Learn more about Native Vote online at http://www.nativevote.org.

About The National Congress of American Indians

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information visit http://www.ncai.org

Event Listing:

City or Location State Host Community or Organization Event Date

Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, Juneau AK Tlingit Haida Central Council / Sealaska Corp. 9/27

Alaska Native Brotherhood/Sisterhood Haines Camp #5 AK Chilkoot Indian Association IRA 9/25

Sacaton AZ Blackwater Community School, Gila River Indian Community 9/25

Pascua Yaqui AZ Pascua Yaqui Tribe 9/22

Camp Verde, AZ AZ Yavapai-Apache Nation 9/21

Keams Canyon, AZ AZ Hopi High School 9/18, 9/25

Kykotsmovi, AZ AZ Hopi Community 9/27

Arizona State University AZ Indian Legal Clinic 9/25

Polacca, AZ AZ First Mesa Elementary School 9/25, 9/27

Phoenix, Arizona AZ Phoenix Union High School District 9/25

Whiteriver, Arizona AZ WMAT Office of Vice Chairman Timothy Hinton 9/28

Dishchii'bikoh Community School- Indian Day AZ Cibecue 9/27

Gila Pueblo-San Carlos Campus AZ San Carlos Apache Youth Council 9/20

Maricopa, Arizona AZ Ak-Chin Indian Community 9/25

Tempe Arizona AZ Arizona State Univeristy American Indian Council 9/24 - 9/28

Fort McDowell Parks & Rec Center AZ Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation 9/26

Scottsdale, AZ AZ Boys and Girls Club/Salt River Youth Council 9/27

Nice CA Robinson Rancheria Boys and Girls Club of the Pomo Nation 9/28

Redding CA Winnemem Wintu Tribe 9/24 - 9/25

Los Angeles CA SCIC-Intertribal Student Council 9/25

Santa Ynez Tribal Hall CA Santa Ynez Band of Chumash 9/25

San Diego County CA Native Ink News 9/28

Oakland, CA CA Native American Health Center 9/24 - 9/26, 9/28

Bishop, CA CA Native American Student Association - Bishop Union High School 9/25

Richmond CA Kennedy High School 9/28

Cal State San Marcos CA California Indian Culture & Sovereignty Center, CSU San Marcos 9/25

Towaoc, CO CO Ute Mountain Tribe 9/25

Washington DC The George Washington University's Native American Student Association 9/28 - 9/29

Miami, Florida FL Miccosukee Indian School 9/18, 9/25

Lapwai, ID ID Nez Perce Tribe iVote 10/19

Fort Hall, Idaho ID Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Voter's Education Committee 9/26

Chicago IL Chicago American Indian Womens Association 9/25

Chicago, IL IL American Indian Association of Illinois 9/25

Lawrence KS Haskell Indian Nations University Student Senate 9/25

Horton KS Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas 9/29

Kansas City, KS KS KU Medical Center 9/24 - 9/28

Mashpee, MA MA Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe 9/25

Maine ME Representative David SlaggerMaine House of Respres 9/27 - 9/28

Ojibwa Community College, Baraga MI Keweenaw Bay Indian Community 9/27

Big Rapids, Michigan MI Native News Network 9/22

Big Rapids, Michigan MI Ferris State University 9/22

Dowagiac, MI MI Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians 9/25, 9/28

Wilson, Michigan MI Hannahville Indian Community 9/25

Mille Lacs Band Government Center MN Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe 9/24 - 9/27

District I/Onamia MN Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe 9/24 - 9/27

Bloomington, MN MN Minneapolis Education Line Office 9/24

Philadelphia, MS MS Tucker Elementary School 9/26

Rocky Boy MT Native Assets 9/25, 9/28

Fort Belknap MT Eleanor YellowRobe 9/25

Rocky Boy MT Stone Child College 9/27

Stone Child College MT Stone Child College 9/24

Tribal Office MT Fort Belknap Reservation 9/25

Busby, Montana MT Northern Cheyenne Tribal Schools 10/5

Rocky Boy, Montana MT Boys and Girls Club of the Bears Paw 9/26

Winston Salem NC NCAIHB 9/25

Pembroke, NC NC American Indian Women of Proud Nations 9/21

North Carolina NC Haliwa-Saponi Tribe 9/14

New Town ND Boys & Girls Club of the Three Affiliated Tribes 9/25 - 9/27

Fort Totten, ND ND Cankdeska Cikana Community College 9/25

Fort Yates, ND ND Sitting Bull College 9/25, 9/27

Belcourt, ND ND Turtle Mountain Community College 9/26

New Town, ND ND MHA Nation 9/25 - 9/27

Omaha, NE. NE NE. Urban Indian Health Coalition 9/25

Winnebago, Nebraska NE Little Priest Tribal College Student Senate 9/25 - 9/28

Santa Clara Pueblo NM Santa Clara Pueblo 9/25, 9/26

Taos Pueblo, NM NM Taos Pueblo GOTV 9/28

Fort Wingate, NM NM Wingate High School 9/25 - 9/27

Santa Fe, NM NM Santa Fe Public Schools Indian Education Program 9/28

Cochiti Pueblo, NM NM Cochiti Pueblo 9/24 - 9/28

Newcomb, NM NM Newcomb Elementary School 9/25

Kirtland, NM NM Grace B. Wilson Elementary School 9/25

ALbuquerque, New Mexico NM Central New Mexico Community College 9/27

Fallon, NV NV Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe 9/25

Reno, NV NV Reno-Sparks Indian Colony 9/25

Moapa Indian Reservation NV Moapa/Las Vegas Vocational Rehabilitation/Transitional Students Programs 9/25, 9/27

Reno, NV NV WCSD Indian Education Program 9/28

southampton, new york NY Shinnecock 9/25 - 9/28

Concho OK Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma 9/24 - 9/28

Okmulgee OK Muscogee (Creek) Nation 9/25

East Central University OK Chickasaw Nation 9/22, 9/24 - 9/28

Bartlesville, Ok OK Delaware Tribe of Indians 9/15, 9/24 - 9/25

Tahlequah Walmart OK The Down with the Brown Organization 9/28

Collinsville, Oklahoma - Victory Cherokee Organization OK Cherokee Nation District 5 - Tulsa & Rogers County, Oklahoma 10/27

Muskogee, OK OK Bacone College 9/26

Shawnee OK OK Jim Thorpe Academy 9/25

Tahelquah, OK OK Boys & Girls Club of Tahlequah 9/25

Kiowa Tribe Headquarters OK Oklahoma Indian Bar Association 9/25

Osage Nation, Pawhuska OK Oklahoma Indian Bar Association 9/25

Creek Nation Headquarters OK Oklahoma Indian Bar Association 9/25

Cheyenne-Arapaho Nation OK Oklahoma Indian Bar Association 9/25

Comanche Nation OK Oklahoma Indian Bar Association 9/25

Oklahoma City OK Oklahoma Indian Bar Association 9/25

Fort Gibson, OK OK Fort Gibson Middle School 9/27

Okmulgee, OK OK College of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation-Native American Student Association 9/25

Miami, OK OK NEO A&M College 9/25

Sac and Fox OK Sac and Fox Nation Behavioral Health Services 9/25

Jenks OK Native American Club, Jenks High School 9/27

Mission OR Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation 9/24 - 9/27

Salem, Oregon OR Chemawa Indian School 9/28

Warm Springs Oregon OR KWSO Radio 9/25

Providence RI Youth Institute of Rhode Island 9/24 - 9/26

Sisseton, South Dakota SD Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate 9/24 - 9/26, 9/28

Rosebud Sioux Reservation, South Dakota SD Rosebud Sioux Tribe 9/24 - 9/28

Parmelee, SD SD HeDog Elementary 9/26

Parmelee, SD SD HeDog School 9/26

Dallas Texas TX American indian Chamber of Commerce of Texas 9/25 - 9/26

Dallas, Texas TX D.I.S.D. American Indian Education Program 9/25 - 9/27

Salt Lake City UT Inter-Tribal Student Association 9/25

Lummi Reservation WA Lummi Nation Schools 9/25 - 9/27

Marysville WA Tulalip Heritage High School 9/24 - 9/28

Usk WA Kalispel Tribe Youth Council 9/26

Nespelem, Washingtion WA Colville Confederated Tribes 9/21 - 9/23

Washington WA Shoalwater Bay Tribe 9/28

Shelton, WA WA Skokomish Indian Tribe 9/25

Oakville, WA WA Chehalis Tribe 9/24

Olympia, WA WA Wa He Lut Indian School 9/25, 9/28

Taholah, WA. WA Quinault Indian Nation 9/25 - 9/26

Tulalip Wa, WA Tulalip Tribes Youth Services 9/25

Black River Falls, WI WI Ho-Chunk Nation 9/26 - 9/27

Ojibwe State Park WI Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation GOTV 9/22

Milwaukee WI Gerald L. Ingance Indian Health Center 9/27