For help on Election Day, contact 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683), Native American Rights Fund election protection volunteers will be available to assist voters in Indian Country. You can also contact NARF anytime with voter concerns by email: vote.narf.org. Access NARF’s voter election guide here.
All update times are in Eastern Standard Time.
ICT Staff
ICT
It’s Election Day 2024 and ICT is on the ground in many states, covering key races of importance and interest to Native people. Be sure to check out our live broadcast, “Native Vote 2024: Election Night Live,” which will air starting at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET today (Nov. 5) on ICT’s website and on FNX.
Antonia Gonzales, Shaun Griswold, and Pauly Denetclaw bring you the latest on key races and issues.
And of course, follow ICT here for updates on today’s races, any issues related to voting in Indian Country and outcomes of races featuring Indigenous candidates. To follow our election coverage more closely, please visit https://ictnews.org/politics. You can find our 2024 Results Dashboard, which will chart key races across the country. You can also find our ICT / ANPL Candidate Database,” which charts the nearly 180 Native candidates who will appear on ballots nationwide on Election Day.
Update 1 am ET: Reflecting on civic engagement
Change also happens through local community building
Update 12:30 am ET: Native Vote WA celebrates all their hard work
@nativevotewa Together, we mobilized Native Voters across the state of Washington. Thank YOU for all you’ve done for Indian Country and the 2024 Elections! ❤️ Native Vote Washington #nativevotewa#nativevotewashington#nativevote#nativevote2024#votingisgoodmedicine#skovoteden#getoutthenativevote#auntiesvote♬ Hip Hop Background(814204) – Pavel
Update 12:20 am ET: Reflections on a close presidential election
Indigenous lawyer Tara Houska spoke on Democracy Now about the impact of the genocide in Palestine on the current election.
Update 12 am ET: Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk, won re-election
Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk, won re-election to the U.S. House to represent Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District. Davids was one of the first Native American women to be elected to the U.S. Congress. She took 53.2 percent of the vote to defeat Prasnath Reddy and Steve Roberts for U.S. House in Kansas 3rd Congressional District.
Update 11:50 ET: Polls opened everywhere in Alaska except two Western Alaska villages
Voting at St. George, where 31 registered voters reside, did not begin until 2 p.m. due to a windstorm, Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher said Tuesday.
The polling location also did not open as planned in Wales, where 63 registered voters live. Beecher said a team of election workers was ready to dispatch to the community but was “waiting for the weather allow travel.”
The Wales precinct opened at a 4 p.m., at which point all polling locations across the state were operating as planned.
Wales, a village in Western Alaska, also did not open for voting for August’s primary. The Division of Elections said at the time that they had tried to find replacement poll workers to open the precinct, but none were available.
READ MORE at Anchorage Daily News.
Update 10:45 ET: Results begin to roll in
Illuminative congratulates Angel Charley (Laguna, Zuni, Diné), for her election to New Mexico State Senate District 30
Update 10 pm ET: Pizza for their patience
Nonprofit NM Native Vote bring pizza, snacks, and water to Fort Defiance voters who are still waiting in line to vote.
Update 9:45 pm ET: Tribal IDs are being denied in several states
Voters who hoped to use their tribal identification cards to cast their ballots are hitting roadblocks across the country, with some being turned away at the polls, election watchers told ICT.
Five states have officially declared that tribal IDs won’t be accepted – Ohio, Florida, Texas, South Carolina and West Virginia. But elsewhere, Native voters were also reporting problems using their tribal IDs. READ MORE of Mary Annette Pember’s reporting on the issue here.
BREAKING Update 9:15: Navajo voters please stay in line!
An Associated Press update: A judge has ordered polling places to remain open two extra hours in 10 precincts in an eastern Arizona county after a rocky start to Election Day that included malfunctioning equipment and a lack of printed ballots.
Apache County Superior Court Judge Michael Latham agreed to keep the polls open at the request of the Navajo Nation, which filed a lawsuit asking for extended hours due to the problems.
The decision was made 11 minutes before polls were scheduled to close. The judge declined to extend the hours at all polling places in Apache County.
The tribe argues the various problems at the poll effectively have denied numerous Native American voters the right to vote.
The county, which opposed extending the hours, acknowledged the problems but said they were resolved early in the day and that people had opportunities to vote. The Arizona Republican Party also opposed the request.
Throughout the day members of the Navajo Nation have reported being turned by poll workers after waiting hours in 40-something degree temperatures.
Over 43,000 registered voters live on the Apache County portion of the Navajo Nation, according to the court document.
Update 8:45 pm ET: FBI statement on bomb threats to polling locations
In a press release the FBI says they are aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states. They reiterated what Adrian Fontes, Arizona Secretary of State, said explaining that the threats appear to originate from Russian email domains.
“None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far,” the press release said. “Election integrity is among the FBI’s highest priorities. We will continue to work closely with our state and local law enforcement partners to respond to any threats to our elections and to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote.
As always, we urge the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to state or local law enforcement, or submit tips to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.”
Update 8:15 pm ET: Navajo Nation files lawsuit to extend Apache County polling hours amid voting issues
Update 8 pm ET: Russian bomb threats in Navajo County Arizona
Adrian Fontes, Arizona Secretary of State, shared information about bomb threats in Navajo County Arizona, potentially by Russian intelligence. He also shared that voters will still be able to vote as long as they are in line by 7 pm, and that if voters still have their early ballots in their ballot-by-mail envelopes they can skip the line and drop them off immediately. More information about voter eligibility and the vote counting process as well.
Update 7:15 pm ET: Rain or shine ballots are coming in!
Update 5:30 pm ET: Keeping eyes on Apache county and the best “I VOTED” stickers
@angeldecoramuseum National Election Day 2024! ️ Polls are located at the Blackhawk Center Gym. Polls will be open until 8 pm! You MUST bring a photo ID this year (tribal IDs accepted). Winnebago Tribal Transit is offering rides to the polls if needed! Please visit www.winnebagotribe.com for more info. Let’s #GetOutTheNativeVote ✨ #NativeTiktok#WinnebagoTribeofNebraska#Hochunk#EveryNativeVoteCounts♬ original sound – Angel De Cora Museum
Update 4:30 pm ET: Rides to the polls on the Blackfeet Reservation in a pink hummer limo
Organizers for Montana Sen. Jon Tester are giving rides to the polls on the Blackfeet Reservation in a pink hummer limo. Browning expected to get 1-3 inches of snow today.
Update 4 pm ET: Voting excitement and advocacy on Election Day
From Alaska to Arizona Indigenous leaders are urging folks to get out and vote.
Update 3 pm ET: Navajo voters ride horses to the polls
CNN featured a story Tuesday afternoon showing Protect the Sacred’s Ride to the Polls event, which featured Navajo voters riding horseback to the polls on Tuesday.
The event is an expansion of an effort started by Allie Young, the organizer of Ride to the Polls and founder of Protect the Sacred. Two years ago, Young rallied with leaders in the Navajo Nation for a 20-mile horseback ride to lead Diné voters polling locations, an ode to their ancestors who rode for hours to cast their votes.
Update 2:45 pm ET: Native voters cast their ballots in Rapid City
Native voters in Rapid City cast their votes in the 2024 election on Nov. 5. Voters spread out across the city at various precincts in schools, churches and community centers.
Update 1:35 pm ET: Voting machines down in Apache County Arizona
Voters are reportedly being turned away from the polls in Apache County because voting machines are down. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, asked voters to request a provisional ballot.
Update 1:30 pm ET: Across social media Indigenous leaders and activists weigh in on the upcoming election results.
Tribal sovereignty and an end to the genocide in Palestine are top of mind.
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