Letter to Lowell Haagenson, Chairman Benson County Board of Commissioners

Letter

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) in a letter to the Benson County Board of Commissioners asked that they reverse course and restore a polling site on the Spirit Lake Sioux Indian Reservation on Election Day in November.

There has always been a polling site on the Spirit Lake Reservation. But this year the County decided not to have a polling place on the 495 square mile reservation, which is home to more than 4,500 Native Americans.

The nearest polling location would be in Minnewaukan, which has become difficult to access from certain areas on the Reservation due to road construction and closures in response to flooding.

The Senator expressed his concerns that in a community suffering from very high unemployment and poverty, many residents lack the resources or transportation to travel to polling sites off the Reservation.

"Given the historical obstacles faced by Native Americans in the voting process, I believe it is critical for our state and counties to ensure convenient, accessible polling locations for these communities," Dorgan said. "I hope that Benson County will take these concerns into account and establish a voting site on the Spirit Lake Reservation as they have always done in the past. It is a matter of civil rights and must be addressed."

Below is the letter to Lowell Haagenson, Chairman of the Benson County Board of Commissioners.

September 7, 2010

Lowell Haagenson, Chairman
Benson County Board of Commissioners
311 B Avenue South
P.O. Box 206
Minnewaukan, ND 58351

Dear Chairman Haagenson,

I recently learned that there will not be a polling site on the Spirit Lake Sioux Indian Reservation in North Dakota for the upcoming election in November. I am deeply concerned about the potential to disenfranchise voters on this Reservation and request that you take action to ensure that a polling site exists on the Reservation on Election Day.

The Spirit Lake Reservation is approximately 495 square miles with over 4,500 Native Americans living on the Reservation. With an unemployment rate exceeding 47%, many of these Native Americans lack transportation to travel to polling sites off the Reservation. The usage of post office boxes by many of these individuals also makes the absentee/early voting system in the State cumbersome for these Native Americans.

While I understand that a polling site will be located in Minnewaukan, Benson County, I urge you to establish a polling site on the Reservation. Fort Totten is the largest community within the Reservation and is the location of the tribal college, Cankdeska Cikana Community College. Thus, many tribal members live in or around the Fort Totten area and are more able to locate transportation to Fort Totten versus off the Reservation.

It has been 85 years since President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act into law giving citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States and opening the door for States to give Native Americans the right to vote. However, historically too few Native Americans have participated in the voting process due to a sense of disenfranchisement by the local, state and federal governments, the remoteness of Indian reservations, language barriers, and a lack of information on the voting process.

Given these historical obstacles faced by many Native Americans, I believe it is critical for our State and counties to eliminate any impediments to voting by these individuals. Having convenient accessible polling locations is a crucial start.

I hope you will take the steps necessary to make sure that there is a polling place at Fort Totten.

Sincerely,

Byron L. Dorgan
United States Senator

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