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The Trump administration’s intervention in the U.S. Senate race in Alaska indicates the high stakes — and the scrutiny that comes with them — in the November 3 election. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, is one of two candidates hoping to make history as the first Native woman to be elected to the Senate. The Department of Justice is trying to block election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses by a narrow margin. Voting rights advocates in Alaska and elsewhere are urging people go to the polls early to help offset any complications or challenges to election results. And Native voter organizations are deploying hundreds of observers to polling locations across the country in anticipation of potential interruptions that include worries about voting machine seizure and immigration raids.

We’ll also get an update on severe flooding on and around the Navajo Nation and other tribal land in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. Heavy rains displaced hundreds of residents, damaged homes, and washed out critical infrastructure.

GUESTS

Michelle Sparck (Qissunamiut Tribe of Chevak), director of Get Out the Native Vote

Samantha Blencke, senior staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund

OJ Semans Sr. (Rosebud Sioux), co-executive director of Four Directions Native Vote

Lisa Byrd (Diné), president of the Upper Fruitland Navajo Nation Chapter house

 

Break 1 Music:  Get Up Stand Up (song) Bailey Wiley, Che Fu, King Kapisi, Laughton Kora, Maisey Rika & Tiki Taane (artist)

Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist) I Saw the Witch Cry (album)

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A new report by the Native American Rights Fund finds rejections increased for both ballots and voter registration forms sent by mail from places with high Native populations from 2020 to 2024. NARF’s analysis also documents generations of efforts to suppress or hinder Native voters. The report comes as both Congress and the courts are turning back several President Donald Trump’s most significant attempts to alter how people vote or how their votes should be counted. But Native voting advocates remain vigilant for ways the federal government may seek to interfere with the midterm elections in November.

GUESTS

Dr. Megan Gall, principal at Blockwell Consulting

Jaynie Parrish (Diné), executive director of Arizona Native Vote

Michelle Sparck (Qissunamiut Tribe of Chevak), director of Get Out The Native Vote

Calvin Hedrick (Mountain Maidu), director of policy, training and tribal relations for the California Native Vote Project

 

Break 1 Music: Buc Wild Intertribal (song) Buc Wild (artist) Oneida Powwow: 40th Anniversary (album)

Break 2 Music: Everywhere On Earth I Roam (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:30 — 38.8MB) | Embed

Voters will soon find out whether the bid by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Ojibwe/D-MN) to become the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate clears the primary election hurdle in a hotly-contested race. It is one of the many races with Native candidates that are coming into clearer focus after a summer of primaries. Native women are particularly well represented in national and statewide races and some progressive Democratic wins might offer clues about what’s on voters’ minds. We’ll look at some key national, state, and tribal races as the midterm election draws closer.

GUESTS

Kevin Killer (Oglala Lakota), co-founder of Advance Native Political Leadership and former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe

Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné), digital news director of ICT

Amelia Schafer (Brothertown Indian Nation descendant), north central bureau correspondent for ICT

 

Break 1 Music: Nakoda Healing Song (song) YB Nakota (artist)

Break 2 Music: Wolastoq Song by Saqatay (song) Mawi Sakolikapuwicik Singers (artist)

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Voting rights advocates say a bill to overhaul elections could disenfranchise millions of Americans, especially Native American and other minority voters.  Among other things, the SAVE Act requires all voters to prove their U.S. citizenship, either with a passport or a birth certificate. Numerous studies show Native Americans are less likely to have a valid passport or other documents readily available that prove their place of birth than other groups. It would have major implications for mail-in ballots. The bill passed the House. President Donald Trump added new pressure on members of his own party in the Senate, saying he will not sign any other legislation until the SAVE Act clears Congress. We’ll find out the details of the legislation and look ahead to how this and other measures might complicate the Midterm Elections.

We’ll also hear from Allison Renville (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota) about her decision to suspend her campaign for governor of South Dakota. Renville was running as an independent voice in the state that also elected Kristi Noem as governor. She cites the enormous cost of running a major campaign as a deterrent to welcoming diverse political voices.

GUESTS

Jacqueline De León (Isleta Pueblo), senior staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund

Lenny Fineday (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), general counsel for the National Congress of American Indians

Jaynie Parrish (Diné), executive director and founder of Arizona Native Vote

Allison Renville (Sisseton and Hunkpapa Lakota and Omaha and Haudenosaunee), activist and political strategist

 

Break 1 Music: A War Chief I Have Been (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)

Break 2 Music: Place I Call Home (song) Native Roots (artist) A Place I Call Home (album)