After the commemoration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, it is important to remember that the fight for tribal rights is not merely a matter of history, but an ongoing struggle. In Maine, that struggle will continue over the next year, as the Legislature considers L.D. 1626, a bill that would affirm the right to self-determination of the Wabanaki tribes.

Many features of American democracy were influenced by principles of equality, freedom, and respect that were common in tribal governments — much more common than in European governments at the time. Our founders were inspired by these examples as they envisioned individual liberty in our new nation. By recognizing the right of tribal self-determination, we recommit to our belief in government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

The freedom to vote is at the foundation of a democratic society built upon these principles. Just as they were, and are, denied other aspects of self-determination, tribes in Maine have historically been excluded from equal voting rights with other Mainers. Maine was one of the last states to comply with the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act, which conferred U.S. citizenship on all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the country. Native American voters did not have equal voting rights in Maine until the 1960s.

The Native American Voting Rights Act, introduced in Congress in August, seeks to address remaining barriers to voting for Native Americans. It would establish a Native American Voting Rights Task Force and includes provisions to increase Native access to voter registration sites and polling locations. However, without passage of L.D. 1626, this important federal bill would not apply to the Wabanaki tribes unless they were explicitly named in the Act.

We must call upon our legislature to pass, and the governor to sign, L.D. 1626.

Lane Sturtevant

Statewide Organizer,

League of Women Voters of Maine

Warren

Copy the Story Link