Voting Barriers Encountered by Native Americans in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and South Dakota - Survey Research Report - January 2018

Oct 16, 2026

Uploaded by Finn

Survey research report detailing how Native Americans in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and South Dakota experience barriers to registering and voting in non-tribal elections. Built from a NAVRC initiative launched in 2015, with funding enabling statewide data collection beginning in 2016, the study examines “ballot security” practices such as restricted registration/voting access, voter ID requirements, and removal of eligible voters. Questionnaire coverage spans eligibility, political engagement, registration, voting, and demographics, excluding those not potentially eligible.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages127

Reading Time5 h 20 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Background and purpose

“Ballot security” laws and concerns

Survey design

Five question categories

Eligibility and political engagement measures

Registration and voting experiences

Demographics and travel/mail access

Voting Barriers Encountered by Native Americans in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and South Dakota Survey Research Report The Native American Voting Rights Coalition January 2018 In 2015, the Native American Rights Fund created the Native American Voting Rights Coalition (NAVRC) on the advice and with the assistance of NEO Philanthropy. Its primary goal was to assess the extent to which Native peoples face unique difficulties and challenges in attempting to register and vote in non-tribal elections. In late spring 2016, the Kellogg Foundation provided funding for the NAVRC to conduct survey research among Native Americans living primarily on reservations and in rural parts of Nevada, South Dakota, New Mexico and Arizona.1 The primary responsibility for research in Nevada and South Dakota was undertaken by Four Directions with assistance from Claremont Graduate University faculty and students. The primary responsibility for the research in Arizona and New Mexico was undertaken by the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, and the Native America Voters Alliance of New Mexico, with the assistance of the staff ofFair Elections Legal Network. 2 Over the past decade, a range of new state registration and voting laws and practices have been implemented under the label of “ballot security.” These include: 􀂾 Restrictions on the hours, days and places that people can register and vote. 􀂾 Requirements that people provide government issued identification before voting 􀂾 The removal of eligible voters from the lists of registered voters Opponents of these measures argue that these laws disenfranchise large numbers of African Americans, Latinos, the poor, the elderly and the young.3 Somewhat surprisingly, less attention has been paid to whether Native Americans face substantial barriers in trying to register and vote in non-tribal elections. The survey research for this project represents the first effort to identify ina comprehensive way barriers confronted by members of rural Native American communities in 1 A sub-group of the NAVRC was given the task of designing survey instruments that could be used in the different states. The sub-group was convened by Jon Sherman from the FELN and it included Bret Healy and OJ Semans from Four Directions, Laughlin McDonald from the ACLU and political scientists Dan McCool and Jean Schroedel. Suggestions also were provided by attorneys, most notably Natalie Landreth from NARF, Jim Tucker and Bryan Sells, as well as from Tribal leaders in the four states. 2 These four states were chosen for several reasons, including their histories of voting rights litigation, the size of the Native American populations, reports of unequal access, and their electoral importance. 3 See, for example, Brennan Center for Justice. 2012. Voting Rights & Elections. New York: New York University School of Law. [http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/voting](http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/voting_rights. Accessed)[_rights. Accessed](http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/voting_rights. Accessed) 1/25/2013. For upto-date data on the different state laws, see the National Conference of State Legislatures. Voter Identification Requirements. Washington, DC: NCSL. [http://ncsl.org/research/elections_and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx](http://ncsl.org/research/elections_and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx). Nevada, South Dakota, Arizona and New Mexico. The principal goal of NAVRC is to ensure that Native Americans have an equal opportunity to register and vote, but before remedial actions can take place to address problems, we must first develop a better understanding of those problems; that is the genesis of this study. We need a complete understanding of the types of barriers that Native Americans face in trying to access the ballot box. The information provided by this survey will be the foundation of a reform agenda to begin to address

FAQs

What is the main goal of the NAVRC survey research described in the report?

To assess the extent to which Native peoples face unique difficulties in registering and voting in non-tribal elections and to inform a reform agenda after understanding the problems.

What types of “ballot security” practices does the report discuss?

It discusses restrictions on hours, days, and places for registration and voting, requirements for government-issued identification, and the removal of eligible voters from registered lists.

How are the survey questions organized?

The questions are grouped into five categories: voter eligibility, political engagement, registering to vote, voting, and demographic information.

Oct 16, 2026

Uploaded by Finn