SkoVOTEden
Across Michigan, we are getting our Indigenous community members to the polls, ensuring our rights are protected & our voices are heard.
NOW AVAILABLE
Tribal ID Reference Guide
This guidebook, created in collaboration with tribal governments and citizens throughout Michigan, shows examples of tribal IDs that are accepted as valid photo identification to cast a vote. It also includes other details about tribal IDs as written in Michigan's Election Law.
for Michigan's 12 Federally Recognized Tribes
"We're coming for everything our ancestors were denied."
Indigenous People in the United States were not able to exercise their full freedom to vote until 1982. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act established the right to vote for everyone, regardless of their skin color, and amendments in 1970, 1975 and 1982 then expanded the interpretation of what could be considered discriminatory election laws. Even today, elected officials continue to prevent Native Americans and other marginalized communities from reaching the polls and having their opinions heard.
We deserve to have a say about the policies and systems that directly affect us. Using our voices to vote is so important for us to preserve our sacred traditions and the teachings that our elders taught us to continue for the next seven generations.
That's why Miigwech, Inc. has launched a Sovereign Nation-wide and Michigan statewide SkoVOTEden campaign to register Indigenous voters and encourage them to make a plan to vote—not just in the presidential election, but in state, local, and tribally nation elections. We are working to make voting more convenient and accessible for everyone to make sure our rights are protected.
After being denied our rights for so long, we feel it is important for other Natives to see themselves represented in the media and out in the world. We have been meeting with Indigenous folks and their families in communities all around the state, engaging in conversations about why voting is important to keep our voices heard.
These are real people with real, unique backgrounds and identities, and we are proud to showcase their profiles with their permission.
Detroit
Grand Rapids
Northern Michigan & Upper Peninsula
