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Native News
Allison Herrera

A Native-led nonprofit hopes for record turnout at the polls

Information desks are seen
T-shirts and a coloring book promoting 'Make Voting a Tradition' are visible at an information booth set up for the elections outside the Native American Community Development Institute in Minneapolis.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News 2023

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The impact of Native voting was particularly noticeable in 2020 when Indigenous voters helped sway the presidential election in Arizona. And in Minnesota during the 2022 midterm elections, voter turnout increased 45 percent in precincts around the Red Lake Reservation.  

Jolene Jones is the coordinator for Make Voting a Tradition. Jones is from White Earth Band of Ojibwe and Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe.

“I feel like I have seen a huge increase in Native voter turnout,” Jones said. “And in the last year and a half, two years, we’ve started branching out to our reservations also.”

Make Voting a Tradition is a non-partisan campaign that helps educate and encourage Indigenous voters to cast their ballot. The campaign is run through the Native American Community Development Institute in south Minneapolis. Organizers have been out and about all year helping community members learn about the issues, register to vote and hear from some of the candidates running for office. 

The campaign’s goal is for more Native people’s voices to be heard, and their needs met. 

Make Voting a Tradition wants to reach 3,000 or more Native people this year. John Williams is the vice-president of development for the Native American Community Development Institute and has noticed common issues the community cares about

“Climate, climate justice, natural resources, protecting our wild rice beds, no pipelines — those things are really motivating people to vote,” said Williams, who is from the Cheyenne River Lakota.

Cassie Holmes, a citizen of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe, works for the Indian Health Board. During the Indigenous Peoples Day rally in south Minneapolis last month, she led a game of heads and tails for a little fun and prizes.

“All right, let’s go flip heads … everybody who has their hands on their head, stay in,” Holmes yelled over the crowd. “All right, we’re going to do another flip.” 

When Holmes isn’t leading games for a crowd, she volunteers with the campaign. One of the things she does is simply help people understand what a ballot looks like. 

“So when they walk in, they’re confident, and they know what to expect and what to do,” Holmes said.

The organization hopes for a record turnout this year.