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From a voting rally in Minneapolis featuring food, games and
raffles to a public talk about the Native vote at Virginia Tech,
the holiday, which comes about three weeks before Election Day,
will feature a wide array of events geared toward Native voter
mobilization and outreach amid a strong recognition of the power
of their votes.
In 2020, Native voters proved decisive in the presidential
election. Voter turnout on tribal land in Arizona increased
dramatically compared with the previous presidential election,
helping Joe Biden win a state that hadn’t supported a Democratic
candidate in a White House contest since 1996.
Janeen Comenote, executive director of the National Urban Indian
Family Coalition, which is involved with at least a dozen of
these types of voting events across the country, said this year
it’s especially important to mobilize Native voters because the
country is selecting the president. But she cautioned that
Native people are in no way a monolith in terms of how they
vote.
“We’re really all about just getting Native voters out to vote,
not telling them how to vote. But sort of understanding that you
have a voice and you’re a democracy, a democracy that we helped
create,” said Comenote, a citizen of the Quinault Indian Nation.
In Arizona, her coalition is partnering with the Phoenix Indian
Center to hold a town hall Monday called “Democracy Is
Indigenous: Power Of The Native Vote,” which will feature
speakers and performances, along with Indigenous artwork
centered on democracy.
In Apex, North Carolina, about 14 miles (23 kilometers)
southwest of Raleigh, the coalition is working with the Triangle
Native American Society for an event expected to include a
celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship
Act of 1924 and a booth with nonpartisan voter information and
giveaways.
While not a federal holiday, Indigenous Peoples Day is observed
by 17 states, including Washington, South Dakota and Maine, as
well as Washington, D.C., according to the Pew Research Center.
It typically takes place on the second Monday in October, which
is the same day as the Columbus Day federal holiday.
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