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Big Sky Connection Voter turnout during the June primary was low in Montana's Native American precincts. A campaign hopes to boost the number of people voting ahead of the November midterm election. Comments from Keaton Sunchild, political director, Western Native Voice.
Click on the image above for the audio. Western Native Voice is setting up voting kiosks at tribal buildings across Montana. (Western Native Voice)
Eric Tegethoff
A Native American organization is hoping to increase voter numbers after low turnout during the Montana primary this month.
Keaton Sunchild, political director for Western Native Voice, said numbers were low even for a midterm primary, at 21 % of Native American precincts in Montana.
He acknowledged new election laws likely affected numbers, especially an end to same-day voter registration. Sunchild noted same-day sign-ups are used frequently by Native Americans who often live in rural areas and only make one trip to the polls.
"Certainly disappointed with how low the turnout was originally, but we also recognize that there were some new barriers put in place, some confusion with the laws and various lawsuits," Sunchild explained. "As well as turnout is usually lower, as we all know, in midterm elections."
Restrictive election laws were passed by Montana legislators in 2021, but an injunction had been in place blocking those laws, including an end to same-day voter registration. However, the state Supreme Court overturned the injunction in May, allowing the restrictive laws to go into place before the primary. A trial is expected on the laws later this summer.
Sunchild emphasized there are important reasons to vote in the midterm.
"The presidential races seem to get all the glitz and glamour of elections and of voters' time," Sunchild pointed out. "But on a day-to-day level, what you're voting for in a midterm affects your life more."
Western Native Voice is setting up voting kiosks on reservations across the state to ensure people are registered before Election Day.
Sunchild added the organization is looking at the data and determining where their work will be most impactful. For instance, the Rocky Boy reservation precinct had the lowest turnout among tribes in the primary, at 7%.
"Doing things proactively rather than reacting is going to be key these next few months," Sunchild stressed. "That's kind of what we're trying to focus on."
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Eric Tegethoff
Pride Month during June highlights the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities, which have long faced discrimination. People in these communities say they continue to face prejudice in Montana, including in finding a place to live.
Pam Bean, executive director of the nonprofit Montana Fair Housing, said LGBTQ people only recently received a major victory in housing at the federal level.
"Given the fact that it's only been a year-and-a-half that under the Fair Housing Act, it's illegal to discriminate against this population based on gender identity and sexual orientation," she said, "there's a lot of education that still needs to take place with housing providers."
A 2020 report from UCLA found LGBTQ people face significant barriers to finding housing. Young adults in this population experience homelessness at a rate more than twice that of the general public. The number is even higher for people younger than 18.
Bean has noticed that people moving from out of state may not understand some of the landlord-tenant laws in Montana or local city ordinances, and this has led to conflict at times. For instance, she spoke to one renter who hung LGBTQ Pride flags outside his residence.
"He and the housing provider ended up with a very adversarial relationship," she said, "because he didn't realize he had to get permission to be hanging things up on the exterior of the unit."
Bean said it's important to understand the laws governing housing. But she also notes that organizations such as hers can provide dispute resolution between landlords and tenants.
"We can share information with both parties and educate them in regards to the issues at hand," she said, "and hopefully reach a resolution where, particularly in this housing market, the household is able to maintain their housing."
Bean said Montana Fair Housing also can help people file administrative complaints with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. However, she noted this isn't a speedy process, typically taking months or years to resolve.
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PNS - Wednesday, June 22, 2022 - A new regional survey finds barriers restrict labor mobility; MT confronts fair housing during Pride Month, Oregon college aviation program could set technicians' numbers flying.
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PNS - Thursday, June 23, 2022 - President Biden calls for a three-month suspension of the federal gas tax, Fed chair Jerome Powell says a recession is a possibility, and Sen. Mitch McConnell expresses his support for the bipartisan gun bill.
