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Young Native voters can make a real difference

From Indian Country Today:  It is not that young Native Americans are apathetic about voting, but perhaps it is older adults who need to wake up.
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On Oct. 8, actor John Cusack came to the University of New Mexico campus for a rally in support of the Kerry-Edwards ticket. Now, you may ask what does John Cusack have to do with Indian country? Well, a lot, if you are a young American Indian, a film buff of his many movies, such as ''Grosse Pointe Blank'', ''High Fidelity'' and Cusack's early cult classic ''Say Anything.''

As I watched Cusack work the crowd, I was struck by the many faces of the young Native voters who were cheering and holding up their DVD copies of his movies, hoping to get an autograph from the charismatic and politically potent actor.

Celebrity influence
Many argue and question the validity of celebrities offering their support to a political candidate, but in the end they are voters just like the rest of us, and while some may not like it, celebrities do have the ability to influence voters; in Cusack's case, young voters. I asked one American Indian student in the crowd why he went to the rally. Anslem Lewis is Navajo, 23 years old and from Coyote Canyon, N.M. and majoring in political science at the University of New Mexico.

Lewis said while he admits he went to see Cusack and hoped to meet him, he did not care about Cusack's political views, but the rally impacted him none the less. ''He influenced me in that voting is important - no matter at what level, whether it is at the national level or at the chapter level, voting is a silent voice that is heard. It's important to get out there and vote to protect oneself from what's out there in the future.''

While Lewis' original hope of meeting the actor did not materialize, he did come away with something more - someone speaking out and acknowledging that his vote as a young college student does count. Yes, Cusack did pound the pros and cons of the presidential candidates and was clear about his support for the Kerry-Edwards ticket. However, his public appearance and message did something more - he focused his words and attention on the fact that young adults think, have an opinion and do care about what is going on around them.

‘Intelligence insulted’
I asked Cusack what he thought about the fact that historically young adults and their voting history have been labeled as apathetic and that they are unwilling to take part in the political system. Cusack said he feels otherwise. ''I think a lot of young people are fed up with being taken for granted and having their intelligence insulted.''

In the Intro to Sociopolitical Concepts course I instruct for the Native American Studies department at the University of New Mexico, I assigned my students a project to get involved with one of the non-partisan voter registration and poll watching groups in the area. The goal of the project was to have the student look at the political process and ultimately see how it impacts Indian country and Indian people. At first the assignment was met with silent enthusiasm from some of the class, who were less politically inclined or hesitant about asserting themselves in front of complete strangers.

However, as Cusack so passionately encouraged young adults to get involved, get their voices heard and show the political system what they are made of, I have seen that such encouragement works.

Many of my students have come to class each week, since the semester began in August, with stories of getting people registered to vote at shopping centers, state fairs, pow wows, on the reservation and nearby border towns. They have seen the challenge of what it takes to register voters and how being a part of the political process begins with someone such at themselves. While some students decided to take part with formal voter registration and polling projects, such as Moving America Forward, Native American Voters Alliance, Rock the Vote and Native Vote 2004 Election Protection Program, others have taken the initiative to work with their own tribal communities.

Voting power
One UNM student Elanda Luna-Dewa, from Zuni Pueblo in Zuni, N.M. contacted her former high school civics teacher at Zuni High School and asked if she could speak to the high school students and encourage those old enough to register to vote, not only in the national election, but in the upcoming special tribal election. Luna-Dewa took it upon herself to speak to the students and help demystify everything from registering to the actual voting day process.

Another student organized her own registration project with her pueblo community and sought support from other voting projects and fellow classmates. Her enthusiasm and dedication was met with challenges from her own tribal government as to the importance of registering people to vote. She also experienced some resistance and apathetic attitudes from tribal members as to why voting matters and why Indians should take part of the political process. In spite of the obstacles, the student said she learned a lot about the tribal and national political process, more than she had originally anticipated. She knows it is a matter of education, persistence and time, to get others in her community to see the importance of voting and the election process.

All in all, John Cusack's visit to the UNM campus and watching my students get involved in a variety of ways politically have confirmed and reassured me young adult voters, young American Indian voters especially, are ready and willing to become politically active and involved. It is not that they are apathetic, but perhaps it is those of us, who have long left our late teens and early 20s behind, who need to wake up. Wake up to the fact that it is up to us to encourage, support and challenge our young American Indians to become involved. To hear what they are saying and quit telling them ''they are the future,'' but that they are important to our tribal communities today, for today is yesterday's tomorrow, that we all cannot afford to waste.