Native Voice One

Native American Radio Network

Making history on election night … by making news

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It’s already a record year for the number of Native Americans running for elective office in the United States. Now another kind of history, a broadcast first.

This is Trahant Reports.

I have always wondered what it would be like if the “news” had a Native focus? We would hear about candidates who come from Native communities. We’d hear about how policy shapes our world, whether in an urban neighborhood, on a reservation, or in an Alaskan village. The news would be ours.

Well, on election night three national media organizations, FNX | First Nations Experience, Indian Country Today, and Native Voice One, are joining together to broadcast the first ever live national coverage of election night focusing on the 103 Native Americans who are running for Congress, governor, lieutenant governor, as well as state legislatures. There will be reports from Indian Country Today contributors from the candidates’ campaigns across the country.

FNX | First Nations Experience will broadcast Native Election Night Live from its studios in San Bernardino, California, starting` at 6 p.m. Pacific. It will be a five hour, coast to coast broadcast, with on the ground reports from correspondents across the country.

The newscast will be anchored by Antonia Gonzales of National Native News — and yours truly.

This election has already been amazing. There has never been a Native American woman elected to the Congress — and now there are three viable candidates. So the idea is to open the window and let Indian Country Today readers, the viewers of FNX, and the listeners from Native Voice One, get the information about this extraordinary moment in real time. This is history that we don’t want anyone to miss.

“A record number of Native American candidates are on ballots across America this year,” said Micah Wright, Content Manager for FNX.  “As America’s only Native-themed broadcast television network, it’s our responsibility to inform the public about the political advances of all our tribal peoples. It’s especially gratifying that we get to do it in coordination with our fellow Native news organizations.”  Wright is a member of the Muscogee Nation.

Native Voice One is excited to join in broadcasting the live results of election night, in partnership with FNX and Indian Country Today,” said Bob Petersen, Yu’pik Eskimo, network manager for NV1. “Listeners will have the opportunity to hear the Native voice represented on this historic date in American history through the live multi-hour, multi-platform broadcast across the country.”

The five hour program will be broadcast over the FNX network (so check with your local PBS affiliate about its availability.) It will also be carried on the radio by Native Voice One, and streamed on the Indian Country Today website.

Election night is a month away — plenty of time to organize your own watch party.

 

I am Mark Trahant.

This is a philosophical race for Indian Country.

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Election Day is just a month away — so let’s talk about politics … and the Native vote.

This is Trahant Reports.

This is a record year for Native people running for office. There are more Native candidates — and especially more women running — than ever before.  But what about the other races? Races where there are no Native American on the ballot, and where Native issues are rarely (if at all) explored.

One state that has to be at the top of any such discussion is North Dakota.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, is running against Rep. Kevin Cramer, a Republican. Both have won statewide races.

Heitkamp is an independent Democrat, one who will sometimes support President Donald J. Trump.

This is a philosophical race for Indian Country.

More tribal voters have promised to never vote for Heitkamp again (the Native vote was critical to her win six years ago) because of what they say are her failures to lead during Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline debate. The perception is that she was on the side of DAPL. As Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun, Standing Rock, who ran for Public Service Commission two years ago, told the Associated Press, “We rallied so hard for her, but when her hand was forced she basically sold out to big oil.”

But when it comes to Big Oil, Cramer is even more supportive than Heitkamp. His finance committee is led by Harold Hamm, one of the architects of North Dakota’s energy policy. He is chairman of Continental Resources, the biggest leaseholder in the Bakken oil basin.

So why is this race philosophical? Because it begs the question which would-be senator would be there on some issues, all of the time?

Heitkamp is one of the best in the Senate on Native issues ranging from violence against women to making sure the Census counts every tribal citizen. She’s supported Native American provisions in the Farm Bill, including a Tribal Food and Security Act.

Cramer supports a few tribal issues, but his primary argument is that he is a North Dakota voice that the president listens to on energy issues.

And that includes dismissing the science of global warming.

Nearly 6 percent of North Dakotans are tribal citizens. North Dakota has no voter registration, and because of a court order, people can show up at the polls, register, and vote on the same day. But one challenge for North Dakota is rural addressing. State law requires an “address,” something that’s not uniform across Indian Country.

An earlier judge found that nearly half of all Native Americans lacked state-ordered identification to vote in North Dakota and at least 2,300 citizens would be prevented from voting.

Still the Native American vote, obstacles or not, will matter because the state is so small.

 

I am Mark Trahant.

Early Voting

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Donna Bergstrom, Red Lake, speaks to voters. She is the Republican candidate for Lt. Gov.  (Photo via Facebook)

Election Day is a funny phrase. A generation ago it signified that one day when citizens showed up at the polls and cast ballots. Then after the polls closed, the votes were counted.

And today? Election Day is more like Election Month.

This is Trahant Reports.

In a few places people are already voting in the November election.

Early voting started in Minnesota last week, on Sept. 21st.

There are nine Native Americans running for a variety of offices in Minnesota, including the office of lieutenant governor where the next incumbent will likely be Peggy Flanagan, a Democrat and a citizen of the White Earth Nation, or Donna Bergstrom, a Republican, and a member of the Red Lake Ojibwe.

There is  Ray “Skip” Sandman, also Ojibwe, and a candidate for the U.S. House on the Minnesota Independence Party.

There are also eight candidates for the state legislature running as Democrats and Republicans.

Another state where voting has already started is South Dakota. This is another state where Native voting could really make a difference, especially early. Why? Because early voting is a sure thing. A vote on election day itself could work, but the voter might get tied up at work. Or have to deal with a family issue. Or. Or. Or. The point is an early vote is done. Certain. So imagine what the numbers would look like if the Native American precincts in South Dakota reached 100 percent participation.

South Dakota has ten Native candidates running for office, including for two statewide offices. Wayne Frederick, Rosebud, is seeking the post of Public Utilities Commission and Alexandra Frederick, Lakota, is running for Secretary of State. Yes, they are a married couple. Campaigning together. Alexandra Frederick says they have already driven 10,000 miles to reach voters in small towns. She told the Huron Plainsman that “we can change things, we can make it better, we can make this a South Dakota that represents everybody …”

If elected, Frederick would be in charge of elections. And she said she is working hard to encourage more people to vote. Voting practices that she said are not always fair. Members of her family, living in the same house, were told once when they went to vote that some of them had to vote at a different precinct that was many miles away.

There are nine Native American candidates for the South Dakota legislature.

Across the country some 100 million people do not vote. One study estimates that at least 30 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives are not registered to vote.

Today is a good week to change that. This week, and September 25, are National Voter Registration Day and Week. If you want more information, on how to vote and how to register go to NativeVote.org

A lot of voter registration deadlines are next week — so do it soon.

 

I am Mark Trahant.

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