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Fixing Democracy

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What is a “democracy?”

This is Trahant Reports.

The Supreme Court last week let stand a court ruling that allows North Dakota to disenfranchise Native voters. State law requires a government-issued ID with a physical address in communities where there are no physical addresses. This changes the rules used in the primary election. So a voter who voted just a couple of months ago could be refused a ballot this time around.

No worries ruled the majority on the Supreme Court (and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit) there is plenty of time — a month — to fix the problem. Not that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe won’t try. External affairs director Danielle Finn tweeted that plans are underway for an emergency addressing system.

Quote: “Why is it getting harder and harder for Native Americans to vote?” asks Standing Rock Chairman Mike Faith in a news release. “This law clearly discriminates against Native Americans in North Dakota. Our voices should be heard and they should be heard fairly at the polls, just like all other Americans.”

Indeed, Faith raises a higher standard. He says tribal citizens — even with post office boxes —  live “in accordance with the law and treaties. But now all of a sudden they can’t vote.”

Power of treaties. Did you know: There are treaties that give tribal citizens the right to a delegate in the Congress?

Congress has had delegates since 1794. The first, James White of Ohio, wasn’t even sure he whether he would serve in the House or the Senate. But it was decided that he could be a an “envoy” to Congress. He would not be able to vote. But he could serve on committees, hire a staff, and be recognized in Congress.

Today there are six Delegates in Congress, representing Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Indian Country should be included in this equation. The Navajo Nation, a geographic, political entity, that’s far larger and has more people than the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa or the Northern Mariana Islands.

Congress should have done this a long time ago. For example: In the Choctaw Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek of 1830 there was a provision for a “Delegate to Congress.”

Congress could make this happen with a simple, majority vote. It is not a Constitutional act.

Full authority or not, at least congressional delegates are there. Seated. At the table. Their very presence would be a reminder about the unique political status of tribal governments.

How could this work? Easy. Tribal nations with large populations should have a delegate. Perhaps smaller tribes could band together by region or language group and have a regional delegate. If population is the criteria, then there ought to be at least seven delegates. Proportional democracy.

Then every member of the nation — including tribal nations — would be have a say in this government.

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.

The Food Bill

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Every five years or so Congress enacts a “farm bill.” Those two words are misleading. It’s really a food bill. A  trade bill. A jobs bill. An energy bill. An education and research bill. A forest bill. And, a this-is-the-kind-of-legislation-that-shows-why-you-should-elect-me, bill.

This is Trahant Reorts

Regaining our Future a new report by the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative says Native people are this continent’s first agricultural people, deeply involved in complex systems, and domesticating crops that are still eaten today.

Of course Congress won’t be spending much time on that point. But the farm bill will shape how indigenous people are fed.

The most important section of the bill for Indian Country deals with nutrition programs, representing 80 percent of the bill’s costs. JanieHipp, speaking at the Native American Journalists Association earlier this month, said many tribes depend such programs to feed people, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. That was the original Food Stamps program, created in the 1960s as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on hunger. Regaining our Future said nearly 25 percent, and in many communities more than 50 percent, of tribal citizens directly access or rely on federal feeding programs.

There are two versions of the Farm Bill, one in the House, and another in the Senate. The two houses will soon negotiate final language through a conference committee and then that compromise must be enacted again by each body.

The Senate has a bipartisan approach, especially in provisions that deal with Indian Country. While the House version of the Farm bill only has support from Republicans.

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The Senate version also includes several tribal priorities, according to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. This includes:

— A tribal self-determination project let tribes create their own food distribution programs, serving about 90,000 Native Americans.

— Set up a tribal advisory committee on agriculture and ranching.

— Allow more grants to tribal colleges and universities for food-related research.

— Promote international trade for tribal producers.

— And  a study of the impact of foods fraudulently marketed as Native American produced goods.

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The House bill would cut nutrition funding from SNAP — and some 1.2 million adults would lose benefits because of the proposed stricter work requirements, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The work rules means states and tribes will have to set up an administrative structure to make this happen. And in some tribal communities that will also mean that jobs will have to be created because they do not now exist.

The politics of this massive farm bill remain an open question. Last May members of the House Freedom Caucus tanked their own party’s measure in order to take a stand on immigration. And some of those House members are not keen on any nutrition programs.

There is also a chance that Congress could pass a short-term extension of the farm bill. But that would move the contested issues — especially the fight over food stamps — squarely past the election and the prospect of a Democratic Party controlling the House.

 

I am Mark Trahant.

Cool Runnings

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She’s cool. And it’s why Paulette Jordan could be Idaho’s next governor

Paulette Jordan has already made history. She is the first Native American woman to earn a major party’s nomination for governor. In any state.

But can she win?

This is Trahant Reports.

The New York Times said the Republican primary is “almost certainly” where the next governor will be elected.

Idaho has not elected a single Democrat to any statewide office … in the past couple of decades. And a Native woman, a young woman at that? Nah.

But Jordan is not a conventional candidate. And this is not a routine election year.

Four years ago the margin was 15 percentage points, 54 percent for the Republican to 39 percent for the Democrat. So the issue is how to get from 39 percent to 50 percent, plus one. To do that Jordan will need to win over at least 70,000 voters.

The most important thing for Jordan to do, she’s already doing. And that is to make Idaho cool and smart. (This is where the national attention helps.) On election night the music of Drake singing “God’s Plan” filled the room. Later supporters posted a .gif of Jordan dancing. Cool.

Jordan has the ideal message for the voters who are new to Idaho politics, especially those who have moved to Boise from other cities across the West.

Idaho is increasingly a technology state.  Idaho’s tech sector is already responsible for adding $6.1 billion to the state’s economy. That’s third behind manufacturing and government.(And bigger than agriculture.)

The tech world has no use for the old school — and that includes politicians. It’s about inventing the future, not repeating routine slogans about social issues, border walls, or even extractive energy development.

This gives a reason for people who are Republicans to vote for a Democrat. Jordan speaks the language.

Another reason why Jordan could be competitive is that she is exciting. People want to be around her. That is especially important for attracting new voters to the process. Four years ago less than 60 percent of the voting age population cast a ballot. The higher that number, the better Jordan’s chances.

Indian Country is important too. Native American voters are only about one percent of Idaho’s population, but among potential young voters, the number climbs to 3.3 percent. That might seem small, but it could be a good reflection of voter engagement. Support from Indian Country is essential for Jordan to raise enough money. It’s how she gets her message out to voters. So far Jordan has collected more than $367,000 and that includes money from tribal nations and enterprises and some of her largest contributors have been tribes, including her own, Coeur d’Alene, as well as other tribal nations in Idaho, Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce and Kootenai. She has received support from tribes from across the country.

 

So can Paulette Jordan win the governor’s race in Idaho? Yes … there is a path. And it starts by being cool.

 

I am Mark Trahant

Candidates Seeking Early Votes in Primary Contests Across the Country

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Tatewin Means is running for the Attorney General of South Dakota. (Campaign photo)

It’s already time to cast ballots in the 2018 election season — a cycle with more Native Americans running for Congress or to lead state governments than ever before. The first election tests are in Idaho, South Dakota and New Mexico.

This is Trahant Reports.

Paulette Jordan, Couer d’Alene, is looking for those early votes now in her bid to be the first Native American woman to lead a state. She is currently touring all of Idaho’s 44 counties before the May 15 Democratic Primary for governor.

Primary elections are an odd fixture in American politics. Any small dedicated group of voters, such as Native Americans, are better positioned to win a primary election because the turnout is so low.  In Idaho’s last primary election only 22 percent of voters turned out for the primary — and most of them were Republican voters.

South Dakota is another state where absentee, or early voting, has begun. The primary is June 5. But South Dakota Democrats will pick their statewide candidate at the party convention on June 15 and 16. This means delegates, not voters, will pick the statewide candidates.

Tatewin Means, a former Attorney General for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is running for Attorney General against former U.S. Attorney Randy Seiler.

The challenge is similar to the Jordan race in Idaho because South Dakota Democrats are faced with a choice of a picking an establishment candidate or a younger Native American woman who has the potential to bring new voters into the process.

“I am an atypical candidate,” Means told KOTA News. “I am an indigenous woman. I am a single mother and this is my first political campaign. And so that brings a fresh perspective to a criminal justice and law enforcement system that doesn’t typically have that point of view at the table.”

There are several races with Native candidates for the state legislature in contested primaries.

In Utah, a congressional candidate won his party’s nomination for the third district over the weekend without a primary. James Singer, Navajo, earned 77 percent of the delegate vote and will face the winner of the Republican primary in November. Singer is running in the district that includes Bear’s Ears monument as well as Ute Mountain and the Navajo Nation.

New Mexico’s voters can cast ballots beginning May 8.

Democrat Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, is one of six candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in Albuquerque. This promises to be a close race, but Haaland easily won support from the state Democratic Party’s delegates at a pre-primary convention.

Further south, in the second congressional district on the Republican ticket, Gavin Clarkson, Choctaw, is in a four-way contest. He’s campaigned on support for President Donald J. Trump and “draining the swamp in Washington.”

The people are voting — and  the 2018 election is underway. I am Mark Trahant.

Mark’s Musings on the Idaho Governor’s race

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A couple of weeks ago I was driving across the border into Idaho from Montana. I stopped the car and took a picture of the “Welcome to Idaho” sign. I thought: It would be cool if that sign read, just under the Idaho greeting, “Paulette Jordan, Governor.”

Jordan, a Coeur d’Alene citizen, is running as a Democrat in what is perhaps the reddest, most Republican state in the country. So it’s an impossible task, right?

Let’s do the math. This is Trahant Reports.

Paulette Jordan is one of seven Native American candidates running for statewide office — and one two Native women running to a lead a state (something never been done before). She will be the first of those candidates to face voters — and she will need to win a contested Democratic primary on May 15.

One of the most important reasons for Native American candidates is the aspirational aspect. It’s a way for young people to see a future (one that is far more important than just politics.)

Jordan recently told a group of Native voters on the Shoshone-Bannock Reservation that public policy issues don’t affect just tribes. “Every single issue that tribes push forward are issues that are good for everyone.”

Jordan is running against A.J. Balukoff in a primary election and she has to earn a few thousand votes. That’s plausible, especially in a season where nontraditional candidates are getting a second and third look.

Votes from Idaho’s five reservations could help, too. The numbers are small, but if they are one-sided — say 100, 200, 300 votes to a handful, well, it could give her an edge. Especially in a primary.

Jordan should have an edge with younger Democratic voters and with Hispanics. These two constituent groups that are growing in numbers and importance. Idaho is a young state: There are more people under 18 than any other demographic group. And younger voters — 18 to 25 — are a relatively small cohort. But in the last elections this group increased its turnout rates, so there is a potential upside. Hispanics now account for 12 percent of Idaho’s population and, according to Pew Research, some 80,000 eligible voters (or far more than what would be needed in a primary election.)

So the math is there. It’s possible.

What about Jordan’s message? Is she reaching primary voters? That’s a much tougher call. She has to campaign in a state with two time zones and a distinct geographic north, south divide.

And after the primary? The toughest hill to climb come after the primary. Jordan would need to make her case to Idaho’s deeply conservative Republican voters. But if there is ever a year to do just that, this is this one.

I am Mark Trahant.

Minnesota Caucus

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State Rep. Peggy Flanagan speaking at a campaign event. She tweets: “My fav photo from our kickoff. I’m running for my little girl and all girls who deserve to be seen, heard, and valued.”(Photo via Twitter.)

The November election seems far off. It’s almost a year away, right? Sorry. Elections are a series of steps that lead to that moment when ballots are actually counted.

This is Trahant Reports.

Voters in Minnesota this week will caucus at the precinct level. It’s a meeting that is run by the political parties.  There are two important things that happen at these precinct-level meetings. First there will be a “preference” vote for governor. The winner of that poll could use it to help raise money and suggest a larger base of support. The second thing is the election of delegates to the state convention. This is a big deal. Because in Minnesota state party delegates will later endorse a candidate.

A precinct caucus can be won by a small group. Basically if someone decides to take a bunch of friends to a meeting — that could change everything. That’s especially true in this year’s election because both parties have so many candidates running.

There are nine Republicans running in their party caucus. Last week former Gov. Tim Pawlenty signaled that he might try one more time.

Minnesota’s Democratic Farmer Labor Party has six plus candidates, a mayor, three legislators, a state auditor, and a member of Congress.

Rep. Tim Walz is campaigning with his pick for Lt. Gov, State Rep. Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan is a member of the White Earth band of Ojibwe. She would be the first Native American woman to hold this office.

It is unusual for a team to be put together so early in the process, but it’s also an opportunity for voters to see what an administration would look like. And for the team to balance each other in terms of interest and perception.

That’s already been an issue.

Rebecca Otto, the state auditor and a DFL candidate for governor, is running to be the most progressive candidate. In a fundraising letter she said she has “strong disagreements” with Walz because he voted for Keystone XL three times in Congress, supports the Enbridge Pipeline and “he says he does not oppose the DAPL pipeline.” As is often the case, the story is more complicated than that.

It’s true that Walz voted for Keystone, but he also has said that if any pipeline negatively impacts Native people, violates treaty rights, or disturbs burial grounds, it should not be built.

That’s where Peggy Flanagan comes in. Should Walz be elected, Flanagan would be there to make the case. She would be inside the room. She might win the day. She might not. But she’ll be there for four years pushing and reminding Walz about the importance of Native issues. Including pipelines.

Tuesday’s precinct caucus will be a test not only of Flanagan but that of voters from Native communities in Minnesota.  It’s the perfect forum for Indian Country because even a small group of people can carry the day.

I am Mark Trahant.

Trahant Reports – Will Republicans Stand By Trump?

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Let’s start with the big picture. Donald Trump’s recorded revelation of felony intent — and yes, it’s that serious — ought to disqualify him from the presidency. This is Trahant Reports.

During a debate Sunday night, Trump apologized. Deflected and at one point tried to pivot and make the conversation about ISIS. Of course the problem is, there is no excuse for Trump’s recorded words. He was off camera at the time and it was more than ten years ago. But let’s be clear, we are not talking about lewd behavior, consensual relationships, or being boorish. Trump said he can engage in criminal behavior. “When you’re a star, they let you do it,” he said. “You can do anything.”

So in the days that followed, we’ve seen dozens of elected Republicans disinvite Trump from events (as is the case with Paul Ryan) and others reverse their endorsement (as happened in Utah, Arizona and New Hampshire) along with calls for Trump to drop out of the race. This is unprecedented and expected. We knew this was Donald J. Trump. This tape is only conformation.

Denise Juneau, who’s running for Montana’s only House seat, called on her opponent Rep. Ryan Zinke to withdraw his endorsement of Trump. “Donald Trump has shown his complete disrespect for women since the beginning of his campaign, but that didn’t stop Congressman Zinke from backing him from day one,” Juneau said in a news release. Montana’s 500,000 mothers, daughters and sisters are watching.”

Watch how this discourse plays out in every congressional race in the country, including the five seats where Native Americans are on ballot.

Of course most politicians will try to talk about something else. North Dakota’s Kevin Cramer would prefer to talk about energy policy. Cramer said this week that the Paris Agreement on climate change is quote “unilaterally disarming the American economy at the behest of the world.” And that statement is exactly why he’s on the side of the Dakota Access Pipeline project and ready to roll over the sovereignty and legitimate concerns of the Standing Rock Sioux.

Even before the Trump tape surfaced, Cramer’s opponent Chase Iron Eyes raised some of these same issues. “Today in my debate with Kevin Cramer I said we are creating a 21st century North Dakota; a North Dakota where women can earn the same as men for the same work! Where women’s sovereignty over their own bodies must be respected,”

In Washington state, Democrat Joe Pakootas immediately denounced the Trump tape. “As a husband, father and grandparent I am appalled and sickened by the vulgar comments spoken by my opponent’s presidential candidate Donald Trump. Most Americans are outraged and disgusted by this sick behavior,” he said.  Last night my opponent again expressed her unwavering support for Mr. Trump. He is not fit to be president & anyone who endorses a man like that does not deserve another term in the United States House of Representatives.”

That last sentence sums up the debate ahead.

2014 Elections

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Native America Calling (NAC) and National Native News (NNN) covered the campaigns and key issues in the 2014 elections across Indian Country.

NAC brought together grassroots organizers, voters and community members to talk about voting rights, access to the polls and key issues for Native voters this year. In July, we discussed the impact of the 2013 Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder, which threw out key parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In August, we learned about voter registration campaigns and in September the program followed up with coverage of efforts to turn out the Native Vote in 2014. In September, the program also highlighted tribal elections across the countyr.

NNN featured the work of four reporting fellows to covered elections issues in Alaska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Northeastern states. NNN newscasts featured reporting from these fellows and other reporters who documented the impact of the elections across Indian Country.

 
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