American Indian Voting!!!!!
Political candidates key to sovereignty, gov tells tribal
leaders
Sara Thorson
Associated Press
Jun. 16, 2003 04:00 PM
Leaders of the National Congress of American Indians said Monday
they have a drive in place to help convince more Indians to vote
and run for state and federal office in 2004.
Congress President Tex Hall said tribes need to make changes to
increase Indian participation in state and federal elections to
match the high participation in tribal elections.
"In Alaska, we changed our tribal elections to the same as
national elections," he said at a news conference Monday. Most
tribal elections have a better than 95 percent turnout, Hall
added.
The congress' executive director, Jacqueline Johnson, said the
vote and registration drive, called Native Vote 2004, will
distribute information to tribes in all states to educate them
about state election resources and the appointment process. Tribal
leaders also said at the news conference that tribal
representatives who attended a related summit on Saturday agreed to
work to preserve sovereignty and improve government-to-government
relations.
"A stealth attack is under way on the principles and policies of
our tribal sovereignty that we rely on," Hall said. The tribal
leaders' comments followed a call earlier in the day by Gov. Janet
Napolitano to increase Indian presence in all levels of government.
She encouraged tribal leaders to mobilize voters, and to speak out
in support of the recently renamed Piestewa Peak and Piestewa
Freeway. They were renamed at the governor's urging in honor of
Army Spc. Lori Piestewa, a Hopi woman from Tuba City believed to be
the first American Indian woman killed in combat while fighting for
U.S. forces.
Napolitano told tribal leaders that opposition groups are
petitioning to have the peak and freeway returned to the original
names, Squaw Peak and Squaw Peak Parkway. She urged leaders to
speak out in support of the name change. "(Squaw) is an offensive
part of our history, best left in the past," she said.
Immediately after Napolitano spoke, the Indian congress
unanimously agreed to draft a resolution in support of the name
change. "All tribes are very impressed by the efforts of Janet
Napolitano," Hall said. "To go back would be a complete reversal of
positive state government and tribe relations. I hope to God that
never occurs."
Copyright c. 2003 The Arizona Republic.
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