In Arizona and Wisconsin, Native turnout — which often leans liberal — made the difference in Biden’s slim but winning margin.
Anna V. Smith
Anna V. Smith is an associate editor of High Country News. She writes and edits stories on tribal sovereignty and environmental justice for the Indigenous Affairs desk from Colorado. Follow her @annavtoriasmth.
Posted inArticles
Violence at the U.S.-Mexico border as a presidential election nears
Law enforcement deploys tear gas and rubber bullets in confrontation with Indigenous activists.
Posted inOctober 1, 2020: Democracy's Frayed Western Front
An inaccurate census has major implications for Indian Country
Indigenous people are frequently undercounted, undermining political power and representation.
Posted inOctober 1, 2020: Democracy's Frayed Western Front
11 Alaska Native tribes offer new way forward on managing the Tongass
The proposal comes after a failed consultation process of ‘one way communication’ over the Tongass National Forest.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2020: The Next West
Tribal nations are decolonizing cultural protection
A new book looks at a ‘third way’ for Indian law.
Posted inAugust 1, 2020: Infectious Ideologies
Patriot militia groups mobilize during a deadly pandemic and massive protests
‘That has a real chilling effect on democratic practice.’
Posted inJuly 1, 2020: 'I am here fighting for my life and future children'
There’s already an alternative to calling the police
A 31-year-old program in Eugene, Oregon, is a model in de-escalating situations that could end with law enforcement violence.
Posted inJune 1, 2020: Dissent at a Distance
Report: Indigenous voters face racism and suppression
‘Native Americans just face really unreasonable obstacles when it comes to voting.’
Posted inArticles
Tribal leaders oppose online consultations with the U.S. during the pandemic
‘It is not possible to meaningfully convene and internally develop comments at this time when we are at capacity, focused on critical and life-threatening measures.’
Posted inArticles
Western states lead the way in vote-by-mail elections
As COVID-19 closes most in-person polling locations, will states be able to scale up in time?
Posted inArticles
In their words: How Westerners are weathering the pandemic
From feeling hopeful to anxious to resilient, people across the West offer a look into their communities.
Posted inArticles
Casino closures in Indian Country hit core tribal services
Tribal government gaming is at a standstill, amounting to $4.4 billion in lost economic activity.
Posted inApril 1, 2020: Land-Grab Universities
Tribal nations demand response to climate relocation
Five Indigenous communities have asked the U.N. to investigate the United States’ failure to live up to legal obligations.
Posted inApril 1, 2020: Land-Grab Universities
‘This system cannot be sustained’
This year, tribal nations enter negotiations over Colorado River water.
Posted inOctober 28, 2019: Where Hunting Still Has Meaning
How an Arrow Lakes elk hunt became a case of tribal recognition
Rick Desautel shot an elk to prove the Sinixt descendants are not legally ‘extinct.’ Now the Supreme Court of Canada will decide.
Posted inOctober 28, 2019: Where Hunting Still Has Meaning
The Klamath River now has the legal rights of a person
A Yurok Tribe resolution allows cases to be brought on behalf of the river as a person in tribal court.
Posted inAugust 19, 2019: 2068: The Speculative Journalism Issue
Q & A: Why a whistleblower went AWOL from the Fire Service
In 2068, the U.S. faces year-round wildfires across the West with drafting wildland firefighters.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
When public lands become tribal lands again
A story of fire, stolen lands, and how hard it is to get the U.S. to follow its own laws.
Posted inArticles
The Bureau of Indian Affairs steps up its harassment policy
Timeframes for responding to allegations and more show improvements from ‘zero tolerance’ rhetoric.
Posted inArticles
How do tribal nations’ treaties figure into climate change?
U.S. courts rarely favor environmental protections as a right — except when it comes to tribes expressing their treaty rights.