The Native Vote Matters – Here is What You Need to Know About the Upcoming Election, Says Letter Writer

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We’ve seen it happen election after election. It’s unfortunate, but too often Native Americans get left out of the conversation because we’re located in rural areas on reservation and that remoteness often presents challenges to communicating with us.  But we can’t let anything get in the way of exercising our right to vote this November. Our voices matter, they always have and right now the stakes couldn’t be higher.

California has the highest Native American population in the country, and we have to make sure that we all cast our votes in the General Election. We need to vote so that our elected officials, leaders and others know that our votes have power and that we will do everything we can to advocate for our communities. Thankfully, this year in California, it is easier than ever to cast our votes.

Here is what you need to know to vote this November

• Checking to see if registered and tracking your ballot is easier than ever.

  To register to vote or make updates to your registration visit RegistertoVote.ca.gov by October 19, 2020. You can check to see if you are an active voter by visiting vote.ca.gov if you do not have access to the internet or prefer to call you can reach out to the Secretary of State’s Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE. 

  This year, you can track your voter registration status with new and easy tools available online at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.

• For those who have been displaced by wildfires, you have options to safely vote.

  If you have been or are worried that you may be displaced due to fires or other emergencies you can change your mailing address, but ballots cannot be forwarded. You can have your vote-by-mail ballot sent to the home of a family member or friend, a post office box, or your work. To change your mailing address, please contact your local county elections office before the October 19, 2020 deadline to register to vote.

• Everyone will get a ballot this year in the mail so you can vote safely from home.

  This election, every active, registered voter will receive a vote-by-mail ballot with a unique barcode. If you did not receive your ballot in the mail, contact your local county elections office.

• Voting by mail is secure and your vote will be counted.

  As long as we fill out our ballots in blue or black ink, sign and date the envelope and follow the easy step-by-step directions to vote by mail, our votes will be counted. There is no safer method to vote, than to vote-by-mail and ballots come with prepaid postage return envelopes. They can also be returned to any voting location or ballot drop box.

This election is different from past elections. We’re facing a global pandemic, some of us have lost loved ones, our homes or our jobs. But we will not let the challenges we face today get in the way of ensuring that we fight for the future of our families, tribal communities and loved ones. The way we do this successfully is by voting. It is safe and simple to participate in this upcoming election. This November, let us remind everyone once again that we will not be silent. We are not invisible, but rather are more motivated than ever and will do everything we can to make sure that our voices are heard.

 

Lindsay McCovey (Hupa, Yurok, Chimariko)