Tell South Dakota: Stop Suppressing Native American Votes!
- by: Chris Wolverton
- recipient: Elaine Wulff, Auditor of Buffalo County, South Dakota
Residents of Crow Creek Indian Reservation in South Dakota are facing difficulties voting early because the closest voting site is a 50 mile round trip away in Gann Valley, a village with a population of 14. Gann Valley's population, which includes Buffalo County Auditor Elaine Wulff, is nearly all white. The reservation has a population of 2,225 persons, according to a 2000 census.
Many of the reservation's residents, particularly those who are disabled and/or elderly, have no way of getting to the nearest voting booth and no money to pay for a 30-minute ride. Wulff refuses to set aside funds for a closer voting site.
Voting in November isn't a viable option for everyone. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that if you’re given 46 days to vote, you are going to have more people vote than if you’re given one day,” Semans, a Rosebud Sioux, said. “[The auditor] says there’s six different ways to vote, but we don’t want six different ways. We just want what you have, which is a satellite office.”
It is hypocritical for the county auditor to suggest a satellite voting booth is unimportant while at the same time using funds to host one in a tiny white village. A large Native American reservation needs to have the same access to early voting. Please sign the petition to urge Elaine Wulff to set up a voting booth convenient to Crow Creek residents!
We, the undersigned, are concerned that residents of Crow Creek Indian Reservation in South Dakota are facing difficulties voting early because the closest voting site is a 50 mile round trip away in Gann Valley, a village with a population of 14. The reservation has a population of 2,225 persons, according to a 2000 census.
Many of the reservation's residents, particularly those who are disabled and/or elderly, have no way of getting to the nearest voting booth and no money to pay for a 30-minute ride. Wulff refuses to set aside funds for a closer voting site.
Voting in November isn't a viable option for everyone. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that if you’re given 46 days to vote, you are going to have more people vote than if you’re given one day,” Semans, a Rosebud Sioux, said. “[The auditor] says there’s six different ways to vote, but we don’t want six different ways. We just want what you have, which is a satellite office.”
If early voting is important enough to set up a special booth in a town with 14 residents, it should be likewise important to set one up near the Crow Creek Reservation. We respectfully urge you to set aside funds to create a voting booth convenient to all Crow Creek residents. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
