Turnout for Native American voters has grown in the last several election cycles, and the voting group has helped secure slim Democratic victories in a number of states, including Wisconsin and Arizona.
“Native people aren't just some pawn to play in this political game,” Native News Online's Neely Bardwell says. “And I think after 2020, a lot of politicians have started to realize how influential we, our communities really are.”
In 2024, tribal sovereignty, land management and the environment are among key issues for Native American voters in 2024, according to Bardwell and Source New Mexico's Shaun Griswold.
“As Indigenous people, we were the original stewards of this land and making sure that conservation efforts were the foundation of our societies and making sure the land is protected,” Bardwell says.
Indigenous communities face unique environmental threats linked to climate change, including flooding, land loss and wildfires. But it’s not just in states with large Native American populations where Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will need to win over Indigenous communities.
“There's a lot of people who don't live in their tribal communities, [but] who live in urban settings, who live in cities, who are disconnected but are native,” Griswold said. “What the benefit of Indigenizing more spaces, of creating policy that is Indigenous focused and has Indigenous leadership – it connects those people to their tribal communities and their culture.”
This reporting was done as part of the 2024 Native Vote Desk collaboration between ICT, Source New Mexico, States Newsroom, Native News Online, Native America Calling, National Native News, and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation.
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