Native Americans are losing their right to vote in North Dakota /// Faith Stevens - 6th Period

https://www.aclu.org/blog/voting-rights/supreme-court-enables-mass-disenfranchisement-north-dakotas-native-americans

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court chose to allow the law in North Dakota to continue forcing the restrictive voter law, which makes it harder to cast a vote. This is thought to be primarily targeted towards Native Americans, as they use P.O boxes and don't have an address, or supplementative documentation, or anything that might prove they are citizen of the United States, due to homelessness or poverty. It is thought Republican lawmakers wanted this passed because Native Americans tend to be more democratic, so to prevent that large vote they've found a way to single them out and block what they can. What's at stake is 70,000 residents that lack the new I.D rules- that's nearly 20% of the typical turnout for a midterm election. The article believes that this is a threat towards democratic government, and that is is our job to elect people who will stand for us. People who will defend our most basic right to vote.

Ok. So this article REEKS of lots of things we have so far learned about in APUSH. To start with, the Trail of Tears. Even though the Cherokee went to the supreme court and the case was ruled in their favor, Jackson still forced them out of their homes. And that is just one case! History is flooded with abuse against Native Americans, against people we STOLE land from. Against people we continually ignore until they pop up in mainstream media. Doing what? Fighting for their individual rights. So few of us actually know anything about Native American history, and even fewer care.

I'm sure the majority of us have seen the children's textbook definition of the Trail of Tears. In the children text book, it defines the Trail of Tears as "When the European settlers arrived, they needed land to live on. The First Nations Peoples agreed to move to different area to make room for the new settlements." Ok. First off. What kind of bull-crap is that? Agreed to move away to make room? Try forced out for size. And now, here they are, having to defend their most basic right to vote? Wasn't the entire point of the revolution so we could vote on our representatives as a people? And the people who were actually on the land still when the European settlements moved over are having to fight for their right to vote? That isn't ok! That is something that needs to be pointed out and frowned upon! And yet, so few people actually know about it. I mean think, 70,000 people who live in a state of poverty, (might I remind you because of us) are not going to be allowed to vote when they show up to the stations.

I think by the author's stance and clearly defined words that they are very against Republicans and very for democrats. You can tell in the writing, but the reality is that media typically tends to be more democratic based, so this would make sense. But she seems very passionate about her stance, and that is something i can admire.

I think all in all, this article needs to be read and something needs to be done. This isn't ok. Taking a basic right away from a minority group that already has had their culture and land white washed and stolen isn't ok. They need to be defended .They need help. From all of us, not just from the media. They need to be allowed to elect representatives, even if the republicans don't like it. Don't take something away that is branded on every America surface. That's our thing, that's our point of being a country. The people have the right to vote. We cannot steal that, under no circumstances. We have to fight back.