Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Alaska Vote Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Alaska leaders at NCAI webinar highlight rural voting barriers, call to expand Bureau of Indian Education access
Summary
Alaska-area speakers and Interior Native Vote staff described early-voting and poll-worker shortages in rural villages, proposed using tribal staff as poll workers, and urged candidates to support expanding Bureau of Indian Education services into Alaska.
Speakers from Alaska and NCAI used the webinar to press for practical steps to increase turnout in remote villages and to expand tribal education resources in the state.
Brian Ridley, Alaska area vice president for NCAI, urged a targeted strategy for acreage to be taken into trust in Alaska and said the state has been left out of some Bureau of Indian Education services; he called on candidates to commit to expanding BIE and tribal grant schools into Alaska. "We have to have candidates that will campaign on and support expanding the Bureau of Indian Education and tribal grant schools into Alaska," Ridley said.
Cheyenne (government and rural affairs coordinator, Interior Native Vote) described operational problems: early-voting accessibility, poll workers not showing up, and hiring difficulties that make running elections in remote villages hard. She said Interior Native Vote prioritizes outreach and is working to identify areas with staffing shortfalls for the fall elections.
In response, Brian Ridley reported a regional practice of asking tribal staff to serve as poll workers where jurisdictions allow it; he said some regions are piloting that option to cover shortages and make voting more accessible. "If there's staff that are willing to do that and wanting to do that, I just made sure that they knew that that was an option for them out there," Ridley said.
Next steps: NCAI encouraged attendees to consult nativevote.org for resources; local groups were told to apply for mini grants to help cover outreach costs such as rides to the polls and recruitment of election workers.
