On Thursday, September 14, 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Susan R. Bolton in Phoenix ruled in favor of the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Gila River Indian Community and Native youth against a voter suppression law requiring proof of a physical address.
Considering more than 40,000 homes on Indian reservations across Arizona do not have physical addresses, the decision is viewed as a victory for Native Americans in the state.
The order holds that the proof of address requirements in Arizona HB 2492 are preempted by the National Voter Registration Act.
Under Judge Bolton’s ruling, the bill’s address requirements must be liberally interpreted so that no one is required to have a standard street address in order to vote and so that numerous documents can be used to satisfy the requirement, including an Arizona-issued ID listing only a P.O. Box or any tribal identification document, regardless of whether it has an address.
“We applaud the Court’s ruling, which ensures citizens living in their tribal communities will not be disenfranchised because they don’t have an address. Native people in Arizona will continue to fight for their right to participate in democracy,” said Native American Rights Fund Staff Attorney Allison Neswood.
“The Gila River Indian Community is pleased with this decision, which will ensure our Community members can exercise their right to vote using tribal identification and our Reservation addresses,” Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Lewis said. “We continue to fight for our voice to be heard through our vote and will resist any attempts to suppress our votes because, as we have shown in the last several elections, our Community’s vote counts and the Native vote matters.”
Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose said, “This is a great day for the Tohono O’odham Nation and all Arizona tribes. This decision reaffirms that tribal citizens have the same constitutional voting rights as every other American. The Nation will always fight to uphold our people’s right to vote, which is the foundation of our democracy. We want to thank the Native American Rights Fund for working with us to bring about this momentous ruling.”
Tohono O’odham Nation, Gila River Indian Community, and individual Native voters are represented by the Native American Rights Fund, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Osborn Maledon, P.A., in litigation that has been consolidated with related cases under the case name, Mi Familia Vota v. Arizona.
More Stories Like This
Sovereignty Symposium will be June 11-12 in Oklahoma CityTribes, National Congress of American Indians Oppose Montana's TikTok Ban on Grounds of Sovereignty
A Notable Victory for Justice in Case of Murdered Pit River Tribal Citizen
Call for Entire Ninth Circuit Rehearing of Apache Stronghold to Vindicate Tribal Nations’ Land-based Religious Practices
Newland Touts Biden's Investing in America Agenda at Bison Release at Taos Pueblo
These stories must be heard.
This May, we are highlighting our coverage of Indian boarding schools and their generational impact on Native families and Native communities. Giving survivors of boarding schools and their descendants the opportunity to share their stories is an important step toward healing — not just because they are speaking, but because they are being heard. Their stories must be heard. Help our efforts to make sure Native stories and Native voices are heard in 2024. Please consider a recurring donation to help fund our ongoing coverage of Indian boarding schools. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
