Native Vote

Native News Network Teams Up with Every Native Vote Counts Campaign

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Currents. Discussion »

WASHINGTON – The Native New Network has agreed to work closely with Native Vote, an effort of the National Congress of American Indians, NCAI, to encourage Native people throughout Indian country to register to vote and participate in the 2012 national election.

Click to See the National Grassroots Media Campaign

Today, a new campaign titled Every Native Vote Counts is being launched. With a goal of turning out the largest Native vote in history in 2012, the National Congress of American Indians reached out to members of the media whose audience is Indian country to participate in the campaign and hopes these critical partners are joined by many more in the coming weeks.

“Turning out the largest Native vote in history requires all of Indian country working together and the Native media will play a critical role in reaching our goal. These Native media partners are volunteering the air waves – radio and television, the print media, and the web to send Indian country an important message, 'Every Native Vote Counts',”

said Jefferson Keel, President of NCAI, the nation's oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization.

“We are excited that so many Native media outlets have stepped forward to support this national effort. This message should be part of every community gathering between now and November 6.”

Native Vote has produced over a dozen Public Service Announcements (PSAs) available in video and audio for download, broadcast, and online sharing available at NativeVote.org. Additionally there are a range of materials that can be printed and distributed in communities. The PSA videos and radio spots feature messages from tribal citizens, mothers and fathers, veterans, elders, tribal leaders, celebrities, and athletes.

The national grassroots media campaign is also helping to register Native voters online. Participating websites will provide voters with the ability to register using Native Vote's partner tools. Through a new partnership with Turbo Vote, Native Vote is making it easy for voters to register to vote online at NativeVote.turbovote.org – a tool which makes registering to vote as easy as ordering a DVD from Netflix. Turbo Vote delivers voter registration materials to an individual's home with a pre-stamped envelope.

In addition to the Native News Network the Native vote has partnered with other national Native media organizations and companies to promote civic participation and voter registration among Native people. They include:

First Nations Experience, a member of the World Indigenous Broadcast Network, is the first general public, multimedia venture in the United States. The channel is the result of a shared vision between the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and PBS. Through Native-produced and/or themed documentaries, dramatic series and arts programming, the FNX Channel illustrates the lives and cultures of Native American and indigenous people around the world.

Koahnic Broadcast Corporation (KBC) is a nonprofit, Alaska Native governed and operated media center located in Anchorage, Alaska. KBC’s national programming, is a selection of radio programming that is broadcast by public and tribal radio stations across the country. KBC's national programming includes National Native News, Native America Calling, Earthsongs, Stories of Our People, and Native Word of the Day. KNBA 90.3 FM, the first Native radio station located in an urban market.

Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT), shares Native stories with the world through support of the creation, promotion and distribution of Native media. Founded in 1977, through various media - Public Television, Public Radio and the Internet - NAPT brings awareness of Indian and Alaska Native issues. NAPT is located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Native American Times, is an independent national American Indian newspaper based in Oklahoma.

Native Public Media, is a non-profit organization, with a mission is to promote healthy, engaged and independent Native Communities through media access, control and ownership.

Native Sun News, is a leading Native owned weekly newspaper published out of Rapid City, South Dakota.

Tribal newspapers, radio stations, television stations, online destinations, and other media outlets are encouraged to join the effort by disseminating the campaign's PSAs and encouraging voter registration via social media, television, radio, and print publications.

To sign up to participate and download content, partners are urged to go to the following location: NativeVote.org/media-campaign.

posted September 4, 2012 1:10 pm edt