Group boosts effort for vote registration for tribe members

LAPWAI, Idaho – A group of American Indian political activists in the Panhandle is increasing its effort to sign up unregistered Nez Perce tribal members.

The movement is part of a nationwide effort led by the National Congress of American Indians to get 1 million of the nation’s 2.7 million eligible Indian voters to the polls in November.

The effort is billed as bipartisan, but the group also intends to provide candidate score cards relating to important Indian issues.

The score cards will be distributed at September’s Nez Perce Tribe General Council meeting, which is the entire voting membership of the tribe.

“It’s not enough to get them to the polls,” said Cassandra Kipp, on of about 20 people who have begun meeting weekly to plan strategy and marshal resources. “We have to know who to vote for as a Native person.”

Although most Indian groups and publications appear to support Democrats, the effort in Idaho is bipartisan, said Kay Kidder, chairwoman of the Volunteers for Getting the Native American Vote Out committee.

The National Congress predicts that Indian votes can swing electoral votes in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.

Although Idaho is not in play in the presidential stakes, the effort will have secondary benefits.

The group is gathering voter registration lists from Clearwater, Lewis, Idaho and Nez Perce counties and will cross reference them with a tribal enrollment list.

“You’ll end up with an incredible document of tribal members and where they live,” said Liz Chavez, Nez Perce County Democratic Party chairwoman.

The group is starting with a $3,000 grant from the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee.

It will also ask permission from the tribal government to use tribal e-mail addresses and go to tribal work sites to register voters.