“With 2022 Midterm Elections around the corner it is important for the Duck Valley Tribe to win this legal battle! Tribes need to demand equality at the polls, each Tribe in Nevada has the opportunity due to legislation, it is up to each County to provide the equal time.”
– Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Chairwoman, Janet Davis
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 –
The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, with litigation resources from Four Directions Native Vote, filed a lawsuit September 16th 2022 against Elko County in Nevada, including County Commissioners, the County Clerk, Deputy County Clerks, and Chief Deputy County Clerk, because of its refusal to rectify the county’s grossly unequal voting opportunities for the 2022 election and future elections.
The overwhelmingly white community of Elko boasts 108 HOURS of early voting and same-day registration opportunities. On Election Day, Elko residents can vote 7am to 7pm, totaling 120 hours of registration and voting opportunities.
On the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Elko agreed to provide ONLY 8 HOURS of early voting and same- day registration opportunities with ZERO opportunities for in-person Election Day voting or registration.
Nevada’s own constitution requires the voting process be equally open for minority as it is for white voters, yet Elko residents have 15x more hours for voting opportunities while Native voters have to travel 200 miles if they wish to vote outside of the reservations’ 8 hours allotted to them by Elko County.
“Voting is the backbone of Democracy in America. A fifteen-fold advantage for the residents of Elko compared to the members of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation cannot – in any court or by anyone – be considered an equal shot at the ballot box.”
– Four Directions Co-Founder, OJ Semans Sr
