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Arizona registration ruling raises access concerns for tribal voters; NCAI pledges targeted follow‑up
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Summary
A participant in the NCAI webinar warned that a recent high‑court ruling allowing Arizona to require proof of citizenship for registration will make outreach harder for tribal populations; NCAI said it will raise the issue with partners and noted a Native Voting Rights Coalition meeting in Arizona next week.
During a question-and-answer portion of a National Congress of American Indians webinar, Pilar Thomas, a participant working on Native voter outreach in Arizona, described a recent high‑court decision that allows an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to register and said the change will make registration more difficult for tribal populations.
"Registering to vote for us is gonna be harder here in Arizona," Pilar Thomas said, noting that many tribal residents are younger, that some lack birth certificates and that organizers are running into barriers when registering people. She provided Arizona timeline details used by local outreach: a registration cutoff of Oct. 7 and early voting beginning Oct. 10.
Thomas recommended a targeted, in‑depth session with Arizona tribal leadership and the Native Vote program at Arizona State University to coordinate strategies for overcoming the new registration barrier; she offered to connect organizers with Pascua Yaqui get‑out‑the‑vote leaders doing local registration drives.
Larry Wright Jr. said he would share Thomas’s concerns with partners and noted the Native Voting Rights Coalition will meet in Arizona next week, adding that NCAI will help place the issue on the group's agenda. Other webinar speakers also discussed voter‑suppression examples in states such as North Dakota and urged vigilance from tribal leaders and partners including the Native American Rights Fund.
NCAI encouraged tribal leaders to use the resources on nativevote.org and to contact NCAI with local examples so the organization and partners can tailor outreach and legal responses to registration and polling‑place access challenges.
