Native Americans still do not have equal access to the ballot box in South Dakota.
Four Directions Native Vote got its start in 2002 when Rosebud Sioux Tribal members Oliver and Barb Semans organized Native voter registration drives on South Dakota’s Indian reservations. Since then, Four Directions has fought for Native voting rights across the country, and at home in South Dakota.
There have been 25 voting rights cases in South Dakota involving Native American plaintiffs, the second-highest number in the country. Federal, state, and local governments, however, have much to do before equal access to the voting process can be achieved.
The South Dakota Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights released a report on July 12, 2023, that highlighted the barriers Native Americans, people with disabilities, and non-English speakers face when trying to vote.
These obstacles include distance to registration, polling and absentee balloting locations, confusion about voter identification laws, distrust in non-tribal governments, racial discrimination, under-representation in the census, and the purging of voter lists.
According to Mallory Trachtenberg, civil rights analyst for the USCCR, the Committee conducted five virtual public meetings in 2022 where it received testimony from the legal community, academics, advocacy organizations, and individuals.
One such individual was Bret Healy, a consultant for Four Directions Native Vote. Healy testified that Natives often feel uncomfortable, intimidated, and unwelcome when trying to register or vote because courthouse and county auditor’s office employees are usually not Native.
Furthermore, Healy testified that voting absentee can be a challenge for those with a non-standard address, a problem typically experienced by reservation residents. South Dakota also does not provide pre-paid postage, adding an additional hurdle between Natives and unfettered access to voting.
Jean Schroedel, professor of politics and policy at Claremont Graduate University, was featured frequently in the USCCR’s report. Schroedel works with Four Directions as one of the nation’s preeminent scholars on Native voting.
“If you do not trust the county auditor, then you do not want that person to have discretion over whether your ballot counts…” said Schroedel. “One of the first things is for county auditors to refrain from making derogatory comments about Native Americans, which happens in South Dakota, and just reinforces that lack of political trust that the auditor will count your ballot.”
Click here to read Schroedel’s recent article about Native voting in Nevada.
Specific recommendations are detailed in the report and include recommendations concerning improved education on Voter ID requirements, clear information on registration and voting rules, and addressing the transportation, technological, and language access issues that pose challenges toward easily accessing the ballot box for Native Americans.
Click here to read the USCCR’s policy brief and full report.
