Montana's Indigenous population is pushing back against efforts to limit ballot collection on tribal lands.

Many members of the state's seven tribes live several hours from the nearest polling place. The Montana Supreme Court has ruled two laws make it prohibitive for people living on reservations to reach a polling place or mail an absentee ballot before Election Day. The state is now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review that ruling.

Ronnie Jo Horse, executive director of the group Western Native Voice, said they collect ballots from tribal residents who face transportation and other hurdles that keep them from getting to a physical polling place and added the service was very important during the pandemic.

"We had a novel virus going around," Horse pointed out. "A lot of people were afraid to leave their houses because Native Americans had a really high mortality rate than any other group in America."

The bills ended Election Day voter registration and third-party ballot collection services in Montana but the state's high court ruled them unconstitutional and stopped them from taking effect.

The American Civil Liberties Union said voters on tribal lands have "disproportionately relied on" Election Day voter registration and ballot collection services in Montana to cast ballots. Horse stressed the critical services need to be protected.

"If they did put (up) more barriers or even take away ballot collection, those will actually put up barriers for all of Montana, not only Native Americans, to make that decision and cast their vote," Horse contended.

Election Day registration has been the law in Montana for 15 years and efforts to end it were seen as measures to make voting for Indigenous people more difficult. Early voting in Montana starts Oct. 7.


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Tourism generates $3 billion annually in North Dakota but tribal officials say direct spending from visitors does not always reach their areas. Now, a new grant program aims to help Native American tribes promote their sites.

Gov. Kelly Armstrong recently signed a bill which sets aside $100,000 for North Dakota's five tribal nations to share for tourism-related projects.

Kiera Fox, acting tourism director for the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, said it might not seem like a lot of money but it is a foot in the door. She noted her team can use it to improve signage and other needs, while promoting their history in a culturally-appropriate way.

"We get to tell our stories with our own voices," Fox explained. "Reeducate a little bit, correct some of those misconceptions everybody has about Native Americans."

She pointed out the MHA Nation is off the beaten path More visibility with signs might convince drivers to take a detour and check out sites, including a local museum and the Crow Flies scenic overlook. The bill sailed through the Legislature with minor opposition; however, the final sum is lower than the proposed $500,000.

Bill sponsors said the initiative benefits regional economies, with promotion from tribal and non-tribal areas working hand-in-hand. As for Indigenous communities, Fox emphasized having more tourists spend money locally expands their revenue base.

"For these businesses, some these entrepreneurs, our Native artists, they benefit," Fox stressed. "And then (there are) more funds going into infrastructure, updating our amenities."

Other tribes submitting testimony said Native entrepreneurs have difficulty working through issues like land use regulations, putting them at a disadvantage in becoming a tourism draw. The state Commerce Department does have other grant programs for local areas to promote themselves but tribal advocates said they are often out of reach for Native entities.


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Voter turnout from tribal communities in Wisconsin has increased in recent years, with historic numbers for the state Supreme Court election this month.

The Menominee reservation turnout increased by more than 80% from the spring 2023 election and both the Red Cliff and Bad River Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa saw turnout jump more than 60%, according to Wisconsin Conservation Voices, which works with tribal communities through its Wisconsin Native Vote program.

Maria Haskins, native regional tribal organizer for the group, said listening sessions, roundtables and regional dinners have been crucial in building relationships and getting people to the polls.

"With people seeing their peers being more active in the polls and becoming more informed about a lot of these issues, is what is really motivating them to go out and cast their ballot," Haskins observed. "Because I think that people are realizing their vote is their voice."

Haskins noted communities shared concerns at the events about issues like the opioid epidemic, which is severely affecting tribal communities, while drawing the connections of voting to their goal of tribal sovereignty.

The Menominee community has seen some of the most dramatic jumps in voter turnout. In 2023, community voting increased by 75% and has seen a 220% increase since 2019. Haskins believes the influx reflects the increase tribes are also seeing in representation, with more Native Americans running for office.

"I think that it's a huge movement," Haskins emphasized. "It's just something saying, 'Our people deserve to have a voice in what is happening, and we deserve to have the ability to be involved.'"

At a time when the country is seeing the rapid-fire dismantling of DEI initiatives and priorities, Haskins thinks it has never been more important to stay connected and involved.

"I'm super thankful for every community that we work in and I just can't express the importance enough of being in community and leaning on community right now," Haskins added. "I think that it's really important for all of us to have those connections and continue moving forward."


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The Jackson-based group Native American Jump Start has been providing grants to Native students, interns and young workers for decades and this year, has added an ambassador program.

Nine ambassadors across the country will help spread the word on Native American Jump Start opportunities, up to 100 microgrants per year to help, among others, students at any level of higher education.

Wicahpi Chaddlesone-Yankton, grant and operations coordinator for the group, said they want to highlight more student voices and half of ambassadors in the first cohort are current students.

"We wanted to have our ambassadors work with their Native student centers or organizations on their campus and just help bring NAJS's voice into a bigger light," Chaddlesone-Yankton explained.

The group is funded by private donations and therefore will be directly affected by cuts from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the Native American Rights fund in March sued the U.S. Interior Department and the Office of Indian Affairs over the federal administration's cuts to the Bureau of Indian Education.

O'Shay Birdinground comes from the Great Apsaalooke Nation and will graduate this spring from the University of Montana. He first used Jump Start funding to attend a conference. Now as an ambassador, Birdinground encouraged "future Indigenous leaders" to take advantage of educational opportunities.

"There are a lot of opportunities out there for education and leadership development," Birdinground emphasized. "I wouldn't hesitate to jump on any one of those opportunities that is provided to you."

The application period for Native American Jump Start's education grant funding for this fall opens April 1.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.