Native Voters Turned Away at Polls Sue North Dakota — Impact Fund

17.4.16

Native Voters Turned Away at Polls Sue North Dakota — Impact Fund: The Native plaintiffs say the restrictions, passed by the North Dakota legislature in 2013 and tightened further in 2015, disproportionately burden and even disenfranchise Native American voters who, among other issues, live farther from offices where they can obtain alternative identification and are less likely to have the vehicle needed to get there. For example, Standing Rock residents have to drive up to 120 miles round trip to the nearest office that issues driver’s licenses. Natives are also poorer and more likely to find the fees and transportation costs prohibitive. By falling more heavily on Native people, says the lawsuit, these burdens violate the Voting Rights Act and the United States and North Dakota constitutions.