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PNS - Monday, October 14, 2024 - FEMA pauses disaster aid amid threats; rural voters want candidates to put workers first; anti-hunger advocates go the distance to reach Indigenous communities; a NASA spacecraft is heading towards Jupiter; and how the world's ultra-rich are trying or not to make meat sustainable.
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By Mark Moran - Producer-Editor, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - This is Indigenous Peoples Day (Monday, Oct. 14). Advocates for Native nations and voters' groups are using the occasion to call on people in Montana's Indian Country to cast ballots and make their voices heard. Comments from Chris La Tray, Montana's Poet Laureate; and Jonas Rides at the Door, Native American activist and Marine Purple Heart recipient.
Click on the image above for the audio. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act, securing Native Americans' right to vote in the United States. (Adobe Stock)
Mark Moran
October 14, 2024 - Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day, and tribal leaders are using the occasion to call on people in Indian Country to vote in the upcoming election.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act, passed in 1924 to grant U.S. citizenship to all Indigenous people - including the right to vote.
But Montana Poet Laureate and Native American activist Chris La Tray said there have been consistent efforts to suppress that right. He's calling on the state's Native population to cast their ballots.
"Because it has power," said La Tray. "So, I urge you to use it. Vote in tribal elections, community elections, state and national elections - every election you can. Guide the future of our people. Protect the future of our people."
Indigenous advocacy groups have worked to increase voter registration numbers on tribal lands.
They've created an online voter information guide, and continue to fight efforts to limit remote ballot collection on Montana's seven reservations.
More than 6% of Montana's population is Indigenous, and Native voter registration has been steadily increasing since 2016 - thanks to efforts of folks like those at the advocacy group Western Native Voice.
Native American activist and Marine Purple Heart recipient Jonas Rides at the Door calls voting critical.
"Our elected leaders shape many aspects of our lives, so I engage to elected leaders that will protect our cultural way of life," said Rides at the Door. "This year, join me in being a modern day warrior. Let's vote."
The Montana Supreme Court recently blocked measures designed to limit remote ballot collection from taking effect.
The state, led by Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Supporters argue the measures would reduce fraud.
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PNS - Monday, October 14, 2024 - Native Americans aim to increase voter turnout, the Justice Department sues Virginia over a purge of its voter rolls, and reproductive freedom is on the ballot in the New Hampshire governor's race.
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PNS - Monday, October 14, 2024 - The U.S. to send anti-missile system and troops to Israel despite warningshttps://www.newsservice.org/cuts/e/comp-5968.mp3?zz=5e8b from Iran; Native vote is encouraged on Indigenous Peoples' Day; School safety expert suggests 'report, not repost' in response to threats; and debunking the horror: to oceans, sharks are vital, not villains.
