Native Vote American Indians, the Voting Rights Act, and the Right to Vote

The right to vote is the foundation of democratic government; all other policies are derived from it. The history of voting rights in America has been characterized by a gradual expansion of the franchise. American Indians are an important part of that story but have faced a prolonged battle to gain the franchise. One of the most important tools wielded by advocates of minority voting rights has been the Voting Rights Act. This book explains the history and expansion of Indian voting rights, with an emphasis on seventy cases based on the Voting Rights Act and/or the Equal Protection Clause. The authors describe the struggle to obtain Indian citizenship and the basic right to vote, then analyze the cases brought under the Voting Rights Act, including three case studies. The final two chapters assess the political impact of these cases and the role of American Indians in contemporary politics.

1. From vanishing American to voter: the enfranchisement of American Indians; 2. On account of race or color: the development of the Voting Rights Act; 3. A milestone on the reservation: the Voting Rights Act comes to Indian country; 4. Niha Whol Zhiizh (it's our turn): Indian voting; 5. Going to court for a seat at the table: Fort Belknap versus Blaine County; 6. Lakotas in the legislature: the Bone Shirt case; 7. A fair opportunity: the impact of the Voting Rights Act; 8. From extermination to electorate: Indians in American politics.

This book analyzes the long and difficult struggle by American Indians to achieve equal voting rights, with an emphasis on seventy court cases based on the Voting Rights Act and/or the Equal Protection Clause.

Daniel McCool is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah and the director of the American West Center and the Environmental Studies program at the University of Utah. He is the author, co-author, or editor of six other books, including: Native Waters: Contemporary Indian Water Settlements and the Second Treaty Era (2002); Staking Out the Terrain: Power and Performance Among Natural Resource Agencies, 2nd edition (1996, with Jeanne Clarke); and Contested Landscape: The Politics of Wilderness in Utah and the West (1999). He has appeared as an expert witness in Indian voting rights cases, and has served as a consultant for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US Justice Department, and the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy.
Susan M. Olson is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah, where she has been teaching since 1986. Since 2000 she has also been Associate Vice President for Faculty at the University of Utah. She has been an active member of the American Political Science Association and the Law and Society Association since 1978, serving on the board of trustees of the latter. She is the author of Clients and Lawyers: Securing the Rights of Disabled Persons (1984). She has published numerous articles in Law and Society Review, Polity, the Journal of Politics and Law and Policy, among others.
Jennifer L. Robinson currently works for the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Utah as a Research Associate. She is completing her Ph.D. in Political Science, focusing on American Government and Public Administration at the University of Utah. In 2003, Jennifer was awarded the Scott M. Matheson Fellowship in Political Science at the University of Utah.