Voting Rights Roundup: Native American activists help raise $500,000 to get North Dakotans voter IDs
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Leading Off ● North Dakota: On Oct. 9, the Supreme Court let North Dakota's GOP-backed voter ID law go into effect, making it especially difficult to vote on Native American reservations. That’s because this law requires IDs to list a residential addressVoting Rights Roundup: Native American activists help raise $500,000 to get North Dakotans voter IDs
Leading Off ● North Dakota: On Oct. 9, the Supreme Court let North Dakota's GOP-backed voter ID law go into effect, making it especially difficult to vote on Native American reservations. That’s because this law requires IDs to list a residential address, which many voters on reservations lack, instead relying on post office boxes. Affected voters will therefore be disenfranchised if they can’t obtain new IDs or another form of address verification, which is why Daily Kos partnered with North Dakota Native Vote to raise almost $500,000 since Wednesday to help ensure the state's Native American population can participate in November’s elections. These funds will be used to provide updated tribal ID cards or other methods of address verification to tribal residents who lack the documents necessary under the state’s new law. Activists are hoping to use the widespread attention around this ruling—and the attempts to counteract it—as a way to encourage more voter participation by Native Americans. North Dakota Native Vote is also combining its efforts with a get-out-the-vote operation that will include measures like helping people in rural areas get transportation to the polls if they need it. Read more