IIn Diné, or Navajo, culture, horses symbolize strength, resilience, and a connection to the earth. Cowboy culture is very relevant to Indigenous communities, and the riding courses are used to raise awareness of issues within the community, such as suicide prevention and alcohol and drug use, said the 34-year-old Diné grassroots organizer. said Allie Young. This fall, Young used trail rides to engage Diné voters in the lead-up to the presidential election. Her group’s voter registration event culminates with 100 Native voters riding horses to polling places in Arizona on Election Day.
“When you ride a horse and get in rhythm with it, you reconnect,” Young, founder of the Indigenous-led public engagement program Protect the Sacred, told the Guardian. “So when we connect with horses, we reconnect with Mother Earth and remember our cultural values and what we’re fighting for and what we’re protecting.”
Native American turnout is especially important in the upcoming election, when tribal sovereignty could be threatened by the conservative Project 2025 Blueprint, which calls for encouraging fossil fuel drilling on tribal lands. On tribal lands, where 75% of roads remain unpaved, political representation that brings needed resources to indigenous communities is especially important. Thanks in part to Young’s support, Native American voters are credited with flipping Arizona, a historically red state, to Democrats in the 2020 election. That year, up to 90% of the Navajo Nation’s roughly 67,000 voters voted for Joe Biden, according to the data.
Mr Young said he hoped the success of the 2020 and 2022 Ride to the Polls campaigns would lead to “the highest Indigenous turnout in history” in the next election. This year, the campaign has expanded to include events such as skateboarding, bullfighting competitions, and heavy metal and country music concerts.
“We’re trying to send a message to the community that we need to protect tribal sovereignty,” Young said. “And with that, we protect our sacred sites, our land, our culture, our language, our traditions.”
Young launched the “Ride to the Polls” campaign in 2020 in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the Navajo Nation, where some counties had the highest per capita death rates. Ta. She wanted to ensure her community filled out the U.S. Census, received the funding they deserve, and elect politicians who prioritized the concerns of Native communities.
“Our nation and many tribal nations across the country have been devastated by the onset of COVID-19 because our systems are chronically underfunded.” said Young. We respect the treaty on access to adequate health care and education. ” She began creating culturally relevant initiatives to help young Diné citizens who feel disenfranchised see voting as a tool to “rebuild our power as a community.”
The 2024 campaign goal is to register 1,500 new voters through in-person efforts and over 5,000 new voters through online efforts. To date, we have registered 200 new voters and confirmed or updated the registrations of approximately 400 people.
On October 12, actor Mark Ruffalo will join the Ride to the Polls to help mobilize Indigenous voters and mark 100 years since Indigenous people were given the right to vote. Dressed in traditional costume, Ruffalo and other Native American voters walk three miles to vote early at a local ballot drop-off site in Fort Defiance, Arizona. It is here that the forced removal of the Navajo Nation, known as the Long Walk, began in 1863.
“For 76 years, Indigenous peoples have had no choice but to fight for their futures at the polls,” Ruffalo said in a statement. “Right now, we are witnessing a massive movement of Indigenous young people exercising their power at the polls, and their resilience is inspiring other Indigenous young people from all communities to do the same.” I hope it inspires you to do so.”
Although most Native Americans were granted U.S. citizenship under the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, some state constitutions continued to block the right to vote for Native Americans who lived within tribes. Ta. In Arizona, polling agencies required an English literacy test before voting. Under the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, all Native Americans were finally given the right to vote.
Still, barriers remain that make it difficult for Diné to register and vote, such as a lack of physical addresses since many Navajo people use post office boxes. Driving to a polling place can also take up to an hour, Young said. And this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Arizona can enforce a state law that requires prospective voters to include proof of U.S. citizenship on their registration forms, but this does not apply to “people of this First Nation.” It’s a slap in the face to Native Americans,” Young said. Those living on the land will be asked to prove their citizenship. ”
To address some of those hurdles, Protect the Sacred is partnering with Arizona Native Vote, an Indigenous-led voter engagement nonprofit. Indigenous organizers will register voters and help residents find their addresses by locating their homes on Google Maps. “When we talk to voters, the key thing is to let them know that voting and registering to vote doesn’t have to be that difficult,” said Janie Parrish, executive director of Arizona Native Vote. “For example, the form itself would arrive within five minutes from someone in Flagstaff or Phoenix or any city with a physical address or town, but that doesn’t happen here.”
During six trail rides in mid-September to register Diné citizens across the Navajo Nation, tribal organizers spoke with voters about the importance of voting in every election. As they served stew and frybread to residents, they explained that county elections determine how local governments are funded. “We believe we started the movement around the power of the Indigenous vote,” Young said.
