FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2018
Contact: Danielle Finn, External Affairs Director
Email: media@standingrock.org

New Voter Requirements
The Supreme Court of the United States has allowed the new North Dakota voter ID
requirement, which had been enjoined during the primaries, to be enforced during the
general election. Every person in North Dakota who wants to vote now has to provide
identification with a residential (physical) address, rather than the former, accepted
mailing address (P.O. Box or other address). Come November, this will cause irreparable
harm to the People of Standing Rock.
Thousands of Native Americans across North Dakota will not be able to vote; hundreds
of Standing Rock voters will not be available to vote. The People of Standing Rock
believe the new requirement will hinder their fundamental right to vote. Chairman Mike
Faith said, “Native Americans can live on the reservation without an address. They’re
living in accordance with the law and treaties, but now all of a sudden they can’t vote.
There is no good reason that a P.O. Box address is not sufficient to vote.” The election is
one month away and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe knows it is not possible to satisfy the
new requirement.
“Why is it getting harder and harder for Native Americans to vote? This law clearly
discriminates against Native Americans in North Dakota. Our voices should be heard and
they should be heard fairly at the polls just like all other Americans,” stated Chairman
Mike Faith. The District Court found that (1) Native American voters live on reservations
or in other rural areas that do not have residential addresses to begin with, (2) Tribal IDs
often do not listen residential addresses, (3) Native Americans are disproportionately
homeless, and (4) there are very few driver’s license centers on or near reservations.
On election day, Standing Rock will be sending out drivers to help bring people to the
polls. If you need help obtaining a physical address on Standing Rock and updating your
Tribal ID, please contact Danielle Finn, External Affairs Director, at
danielle.finn@standingrock.org or 701-854-8500.
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