Over the next few months, The Wellbriety Movement will be providing some communications around the importance of registering to vote and the 2020 Census! Your Voice Matters!

The 2020 Census actually affects how much funding our communities can receive.  If Indigenous communities are not accurately represented, the funding will go down and access to some services could be in jeopardy!  The Census impacts political representation, federal funding, public policy, and many other processes and systems that shape our day-to-day lives. In the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau estimates that American Indians/Alaska Natives living on reservations or in Native villages were undercounted by approximately 4.9 percent, more than double the undercount rate of the next closest population.

Ways to Take Action

Advocacy with Congress: Help your members of Congress understand the importance of adequately funding the Census Bureau to conduct the 2020 Census and avoid undercounting the AI/AN population.

Stay informed about census policy and operational developments with the Census Project, which provides regular updates on census activities in Congress and the Administration.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights census page also provides many resources. Such as access to their Digital Toolkit with key resources to respond to today’s ruling as you continue to inform and support your community.

In addition, the Census Bureau released reports in September 2017 describing its extensive consultations with tribal communities in the years prior. Tribal officials, planners, and community leaders can review the recommendations within the report and push for implementation of needed strategies and approaches for the 2020 Census. The reports are linked below:

2020 Census Tribal Consultations with Federally Recognized Tribes
2020 Census Tribal Consultations with State-Recognized Tribes
2020 Census Tribal Consultations with Oklahoma Tribes
2020 Census Tribal Consultations with the Navajo Nation

Join Complete Count Committees. Educate state, tribal, and local leaders about the challenges Native people will face in the 2020 Census. Advocates can join Tribal Complete Count Committees that will be established among many tribes to ensure a complete 2020 census.

Become a Census Bureau Partner. Partners (organizations, associations, institutions, and the like) will receive timely updates from the Census Bureau as well as promotional materials. Tribal government departments and agencies, such as enrollment offices, IHS clinics and hospitals, senior centers, housing authorities, casinos and others can play a role as partners in the 2020 Census.

Participate in the Census Bureau’s Tribal Government Liaison Program. The Census Bureau will use a Tribal Government Liaison Program in 2020 to educate tribal members, provide a trusted voice, and offer training on the 2020 Census. Tribal governments should appoint liaisons to ensure the success of this program.

Learn more about NCAI’s Policy Research Center.

The 2020 Census marks the first time everyone has been invited to respond online. There’s still time to shape the future for your community. You can complete the #2020Census now online, by phone, or by mail.

Fill out the 2020Census Today

 

Your Vote Matters! Register to Vote for the 2020 Presidential Election

 

The Wellbriety Movement is strongly encouraging everyone to register to vote! To get more information, visit usa gov.

 

Over the next few months, The Wellbriety Movement will be providing some communications around the importance of registering to vote!  Every vote counts! Remember there is power in numbers. When we vote and get our family members to vote, we can impact outcomes and change the debate. Below we have provided some information on Native Candidates that are running for office. It is important to see how and who in our community is paving the road for Native voices.

A record number of Native American women are running for congressional office in 2020.

There are 18 women congressional candidates in 2020 who identify as Native American alone or Native American in combination with other races, 15 Native American women candidates for the U.S. House and 3 Native American women for the U.S. Senate. This number includes those who may have already lost their primary elections.  This is the largest number of Native American women who have run for the House or Senate, overall and in both parties, in any single election cycle.

Indian Country Today brings us the most updated information on Native candidates across the country.  Updated on Aug. 10, 2020: 

Arizona had 11 Native candidates:

• WON: Deborah Ann Begay, Navajo, Justice of the Peace, Moon Valley
• WON: Gabriella Cazares-Kelly, Tohono O’odham, Pima County Recorder
• WON: Domingo DeGrazia, Eastern Band of Cherokee, AZ House 10
• WON: Sally Ann Gonzales, Pascua Yaqui, AZ Senate 3
• WON: Jennifer Jermaine, White Earth Nation, AZ House 18
• ADVANCES TO GENERAL: Makius Marks, Navajo, Flagstaff Unified School District
• LOST: Debbie Nez Manuel, Navajo, AZ House 26
• WON: Jamescita Peshlakai, Navajo, AZ Senate 7
• WON: Victoria Steele, Seneca, AZ Senate 9
• WON: Arlando Teller, Navajo, AZ House 7
• WON: Myron Tsosie, Navajo, AZ House 7
• WON: Judy Begay, Navajo, Coconino County, Board of Supervisors
• WON: Felicia French, Pascua Yaqui, AZ House 6
• WON: Bernadette Kniffen, San Carlos Apache, Gila County, Board of Supervisors
• WON: Lena Fowler, Navajo, Coconino County, Board of Supervisors

Kansas has 4 Native candidates:

• WON: Stephanie Byers, Chickasaw, KS House 86
• WON: Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk, U.S. House, District 3
• WON: Christina Haswood, Navajo, KS House 10
• WON: Ponka-We Victors, Tohono O’odham and Ponca Tribe, KS House 103

Michigan has 1 Native candidate:

• WON: Julie Dye, Pokagon Band Potawatomi Nation, Cass County Commissioner Board 1

Washington has 5 Native candidates:

• LOST: Glenda Breiler, Colville, WA House 22
• Katherine Festa, Haida, Federal Way City Council
• LOST: Amanda Funaro, Choctaw, Jefferson County Commission, District 2
• WON: Debra Lekanoff, Tlingit, WA House 40
• WON: Raquel Montoya-Lewis, Isleta Pueblo, Washington Supreme Court

Your Vote Matters; Register to Vote for the 2020 Presidential Election

 

The Wellbriety Movement is strongly encouraging everyone to register to vote! To get more information, visit usa gov.

 

Over the next few months, The Wellbriety Movement will be providing some communications around the importance of registering to vote!  Every vote counts! Remember there is power in numbers. When we vote and get our family members to vote, we can impact outcomes and change the debate.  Below we have provided some information on the barriers to voting in Indian Country and a few tools that can be used to overcome these barriers.

“Native Americans were denied American citizenship and voting rights until 1924, and that history had a chilling effect on electoral and civic participation,” said Ramos, a Democrat from Highland, speaking  earlier this month before the California Assembly, which approved a legislative proposal to help Native Americans gain greater access to the electoral process and passed the proposed measure to the Senate.

Native Americans have the lowest voting rate of any American racial group, an outgrowth of having one of the lowest voter registration rates in the U.S. Nearly two out of five eligible Native Americans nationwide are not registered to vote, in part because of the barriers that come with living on tribal land.

• Many reservation residents don’t have street addresses for voter registration.
• Multiple families often live in the same house and share the same post office box, there is concern that some people wouldn’t get their mail ballots.
• Many reservation voters don’t want to spend money on a postage stamp to return a ballot by mail.
• Reservation residents who had been picking up relatives’ ballots to deliver to the elections office can no longer do that under the new Ballot Interference Prevention Act that limits a person to turning in no more than six ballots for other people and requires a form to be completed. The law’s $500 possible penalty has deterred family members from collecting ballots.

A few tools that can be used to over come these barriers;

• Visit nativevote.org and utilize their regional map to  find your state and obtain more information on your state’s election laws and important dates, contact information for Native Vote Coordinators and state political party information.
• Research and support Bills and Legislation passed in your state that help the Native community gain greater access to voting.
• Contact your political party.
• Share voting information with your family, friends and community and encourage those around you to vote.

Your Vote Matters; Register to Vote for the 2020 Presidential Election

 

The Wellbriety Movement is strongly encouraging everyone to register to vote! To get more information, visit usa gov.

 

 

This next election year is going to be extremely critical!  What choices and decisions we make now could effect several generations to come.  It could affect our jobs, communities, and our families.  It could have an impact on health, safety, the environment, and access to a wide range of services that millions of people need!  Please help make sure that you use your voice and you exercise your right to vote!  Please make sure you have a say in your future!

Over the next few months, The Wellbriety Movement will be providing some communications around the importance of registering to vote!  Every vote does count! Remember there is power in numbers. When we vote and get our family members to vote, we can impact outcomes and change the debate.  Below we have provided some information on why everyone should participate in registering to vote.

Why is Voting Important?

American Indians/Alaska Natives make up about two percent of the United States population. That is about 6 million people per 2018 U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. The Native vote is not just a one time thing. The U.S. President, Congress, state governors, state legislatures, and county and local elected officials make important policy decisions that affect the Native community, increasing Native participation in non-tribal elections will lead to better responsiveness to the needs of tribal nations and communities.

The power of the Native Vote has been significant in state, local, and important national races.

It is important to exercise your right to vote! With the heightened political participation of Native people, Indian Country has become an increasingly powerful voting block. Key Issues that Bring Native People to the Ballot Box;

Tribal Government Sovereignty Indian Child Welfare Education Water

Energy Gaming Environmental Impact Issues Federal Budget & Spending

Your Vote Matters; Register to Vote for the 2020 Presidential Election

 

The Wellbriety Movement is strongly encouraging everyone to register to vote! To get more information, visit usa gov.

 

Over the next few months, The Wellbriety Movement will be providing some communications around the importance of registering for the 2020 Census and voting!  Registering for the Census impacts how much funding is going to help our communities.  It can help secure more funding for schools and programs that our people need!  Below we have provided some information on why everyone should participate in the Census and how your information is being protected.

How the Census Affects Indian Country?

The census works as an important tool for federal and Tribal decision making. Your participation in the 2020 census is important so that our Native population is not underrepresented! The results of the census determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts. The data collected from the census helps guide how billions of dollars in federal, state, and tribal funding are distributed. Having accurate census data allows for fairer allocations of funds that support Tribal programs. The census also helps Tribal leaders understand what their community needs are, plan for growth, and helps Tribal communities attract new business. Many Tribal organizations and Tribes have used census data to plan new facilities and programs for the communities they serve.

In summary, registering for the 2020 Census can actually help your community!  Click here for the link to the 2020 Census Tribal Handbook to help answer any additional questions or concerns you may have.

What is the Census?

Every 10 years the U.S. Constitution requires a census to determine how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The count is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan government agency. The census counts the population of the U.S. and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

The Census Bureau respects the privacy of people who answer the census and is bound by strict confidentiality requirements. The Census Bureau cannot share the answers it receives with anyone, including welfare agencies, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, the Internal Revenue Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tribal officials, Tribal courts, Tribal police, or the military. Census employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect all information that could identify individuals. Anyone who breaks this law can receive up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

The 2020 Census marks the first time everyone has been invited to respond online. There’s still time to shape the future for your community. You can complete the #2020Census now online, by phone, or by mail.

Visit the 2020 Census website to register or for more information: https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond.html

The Census Bureau uses technology to protect your information through many security measures, including electronic barriers and encryption devices. Data from an individual are combined with other data to produce the statistical summaries that are published. The Census Bureau does not produce data that can identify any individual.  Below is a quick video to give more information on why being part of the 2020 Census is so important!