In March, O’odham Action News reported on a February 22 visit to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Scottsdale Community College by tribal leaders and U.S. Congressman Joseph Morelle (D-25 NY), ranking Democratic member of the Committee on House Administration.

The purpose of the gathering, which took place at SCC’s Indigenous Cultural Center, was for the committee to compile a Congressional report about the continued and substantial barriers to the ballot that Native peoples have faced for decades.

The 124-page report, called “Voting for Native Peoples: Barriers and Policy Solutions,” which includes information from the March O’odham Action News article, is composed of testimonies and stories from Native voters and tribal leaders from the SRPMIC as well as New Mexico, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota and Washington.

Committee staff members gathered evidence related to voting barriers and released a Congressional report on July 8 called “Voting for Native Peoples: Barriers and Policy Solutions.”

According to a press release by the Committee, the report “delves into the past, present, and future of Native American voting rights and proposes policy solutions to ensure every Native person can cast a ballot and have their voice heard.”

The report is divided into five main sections that detail the history of the relationship between Native nations and the United States regarding the path to U.S. citizenship.

The report concludes with a statement that illustrates that “discrimination in voting is alive and well and has a significant impact on Native people” and “to truly fulfill the United States’ treaty responsibilities to tribal nations and Native peoples, Congress must ensure equal access to representation for every Native person.”

U.S. Congresswoman Sharice Davids (D-3 KS; enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin), who visited the Community on July 19 to learn more about the Community’s resource needs and efforts related to restorative justice, released a statement on the report:

“Native American communities have long faced significant barriers to voting, from restrictive ID laws to inaccessible polling locations. Ranking Member Morelle’s new report highlights these persistent challenges and historical injustices that have disenfranchised Native voters, underscoring the urgent need for legislative action to expand the Native vote. The Native American Voting Rights Act is a crucial step toward ensuring that all Native peoples can exercise their fundamental right to vote without undue obstacles, and I join the many voices across the country in calling for Congress to pass it.”

Stay tuned to O’odham Action News for an upcoming article about Davids’ visit to the Community.