skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Group Works to 'Get Out the Vote' for Indigenous Montanans

play audio
Play

Friday, November 4, 2022   

Election Day is almost here, and one organization wants to ensure indigenous folks in Montana know how they can cast their ballots.

Ta'jin Perez, deputy executive director of Western Native Voice, said people can register to vote on Election Day, this Tuesday. In urban areas, the process will be a bit easier because people likely can register at their voting precinct. In rural areas with smaller precincts, he said, they won't be equipped to also register people to vote.

"Individuals do have to go to the main county office, especially in rural areas like reservation areas, to register to vote and vote during the same trip, on Election Day," he said.

There was some confusion regarding same-day voter registration in the lead-up to this election. In September, the Montana Supreme Court blocked a state law that would have repealed Election Day registration. People also can sign up to vote as part of late voter registration through Monday at noon. Polls will be open until 8 p.m., and anyone in line at that time will be able to cast a ballot.

While midterms often don't draw the same amount of engagement as presidential elections, Perez said this election is important. He noted, for instance, that Montanans will be voting on two U.S. congressional seats.

"It's important, for Indian Country especially, because there is a direct connection between federal policy and tribes," he said. "There is that direct relationship there."

Perez said there's also been confusion about this election because in 2020, people received their ballots in the mail, due to the pandemic. But this time around, ballots aren't showing up in mailboxes unless a person has registered for absentee ballots. He said if people were expecting to get a ballot in the mail but haven't by Monday, they should make plans to vote in person.

"Encouraging people to check their voter registration status with the Secretary of State's website," he said, "and to contact us if they need any assistance, whatever it may be."

Disclosure: Western Native Voice contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Civic Engagement, Education, Native American Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021