The US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recently created voter registration forms translated into three Native languages: Yup’ik, Navajo, and Apache. According to the EAC, "The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). EAC is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. EAC also accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, as well as audits the use of HAVA funds."
“The right to vote and understanding of the ballot is facilitated with the translation of ballots and related materials,” EAC Chairman Donald Palmer said in a statement to Native News Online. “The EAC will continue to identify ways to serve Native American communities across the nation.”
Congress is currently considering the Native American Voting Rights Act, or NAVRA. According to Native News Online, Tribal leaders and Native organizations across the country are backing the legislation as the first step in reducing major barriers to Indigneous voters.
Source: Kunze, Jenna. “U.S. Voting Material Released in Apache, Navajo, and Yup'ik.” Native News Online, 27 Nov. 2021, https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/u-s-voting-material-released-in-apache-navajo-and-yup-ik.
