"Nobody's been here": Nevada tribal members conflicted over presidential candidates

Record ID: 1852501

  • Title: "Nobody's been here": Nevada tribal members conflicted over presidential candidates
  • Date: 30th October 2024
  • Summary: SCHURZ, NEVADA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 29, 2024) (REUTERS) CAR PULLING INTO VOTING CENTER VARIOUS OF HANDMADE ELECTION DAY SIGN EXTERIOR OF WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE POLLING STATION SIGN THAT READS 'VOTE HERE' WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE VOTING RIGHTS LEADER ELVEDA MARTINEZ GOING THROUGH PAPERWORK (SOUNDBITE) (English) ELVEDA MARTINEZ, WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE VOTING RIGHTS LEADER, SAYING: “We know in Indian country that we can make a difference. But the big disappointment this year in these races is that these campaigns - nobody's been here. Nobody's been to rural Nevada. Not one of them. Nobody. But they want our vote but nobody's been here.” MARTINEZ’S NAME BADGE MARTINEZ LOOKING THROUGH PAPERWORK (SOUNDBITE) (English) ELVEDA MARTINEZ, WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE VOTING RIGHTS LEADER, SAYING: “So climate change is an issue. For some of the women here of course, it's the abortion issue because, you know, any time you're impacting women's bodies, that's something. Because again, like even in the 50s, tribal native women were being forced to be sterile. They could go into the hospital and come out without a you know they were - that happened.” NATIVE POWER VOTING SIGN VARIOUS OF WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE VOTING POLL WORKERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ELVEDA MARTINEZ, WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE VOTING RIGHTS LEADER, SAYING: “You know, we're just worried, too, about tribal history being erased, you know. You see what's happening where history is, is white history pretty much that is taught in schools. You know, you have to watch what's happening all across the country. You know, it's like I said, it's kind of scary with what could happen, I hate to say it, under Trump. A lot of tribes were established by executive order, you know, could an executive order do away with this as well? We don't know. We wouldn't want that to happen.” AGAI DICCUTTA SIGN VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE ELDER CENTER VARIOUS OF TRIBE ELDERS PAINTING PUMPKINS FOR HOLLOWEEN TRIBE ELDERS MARIANA AND HERBERT DINI TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARIANA DINI, 74, REPUBLICAN VOTER FROM THE KARUK TRIBE, SAYING: “Telling the government, tell the governors, the politicians, this is where we are. We need this and to fight for it. Like Trump says, fight, fight, fight. And he's doing pretty good at fighting. But he's expressing more of what he is planning on doing, which is important to this country. And all the first priority, second priorities, whatever it is. I mean, people hear that and it kind of motivates you to say, well, yeah, you know, maybe this should be. But if the other person is not saying anything and it's all about, well, I can't say that, I have to do research on that or whatever the case is. I mean, we don't know. What is your research? Are you going to tell us one day? So I think it's very important that they tell us and that they should start contributing to the tribes. The tribes are the number one priority in this country. First nation, first people. They should be taken care of.” VARIOUS OF TRIBE ELDER PAINTING PUMPKIN (SOUNDBITE) (English) HERBERT DINI, 70, DEMOCRAT VOTER FROM THE WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE, SAYING: “I might not even go vote because of that. I don't agree with either one of them. But in the wars going on right now, if Harris gets in there we are going to war, we are going to be at war. If Trump gets in there and Trump knows, you know, we may not go to war. And I wont want to see that for my my kids and my grandkids. I hate to see them, I hate to see what's going on over there and have it come right here. I don't want to see that. Like I said, it is hard right now to who am I going to vote for? And I keep saying I'm not going to vote for but I know I do. I have to vote for someone.” VARIOUS OF WOMAN PAINTING A PUMPKIN (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROSEMARY, 66, REPUBLICAN VOTER FROM THE YERINGTON PAIUTE TRIBE SAYING: “Well, I think one of the things that really affect my tribe, the Yerington Paiute Tribe, is that we have a big farming area in Harrington, Nevada, and we always have a water issue, not enough water. Now, there, we've had our water polluted to where we can't drink the water. It’s contaminated because of the Anaconda mine. I mean, I live like right below like probably maybe 3, 4 miles below Anaconda, so we're close, and we have to drink bottled water, and we can't drink our tap water.” ROSEMARY, HERBERT AND MARIANA SPEAKING AT THE TABLE ROSEMARY LAUGHING ELDER COOK (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROSEMARY, 66, REPUBLICAN VOTER FROM THE YERINGTON PAIUTE TRIBE SAYING: “You know, even though I'm a Republican, I didn't really like Trump to vote for him as a president. My husband did, but I didn't. And the thing is, my husband has been on my case. He goes, "This is really a close vote." He says, "You're going to have an election.” He says, “You're going to have to go on and vote.” And I know that my vote will make, it will count. So I'm having a hard time like my brother, you know, of who because I don't really like Harris. I don't like what she stands for.” MAN WALKING INTO THE POST OFFICE EXTERIOR OF THE SCHURZ POST OFFICE TRAFFIC DRIVING PAST “PRAYER CHANGES THINGS” SIGN TRAFFIC PASSING THROUGH WALKER RIVER PAIUTE RESERVATION SIGN
  • Embargoed: 13th November 2024 16:42
  • Keywords: NEVADA US ELECTION US NATIVE AMERICANS VOTING WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE
  • Location: SCHURZ, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
  • City: SCHURZ, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: North America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA001552629102024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: With less than a week until the US election, some members of Nevada’s Native American tribal voters are still undecided about who to vote for.
    Inside the Walker River Paiute Tribe Reservation, several tribal elders split their time painting spooky pumpkins and talked politics on Tuesday (October 29). Some of the most pressing issues for the elder tribal residents include land protection, the economy, and representation.
    Longtime Democrat and Walker River Paiute Tribal member Herbert Dini is unsure who he will vote for this election, or even if he will vote at all. However, he believes Former President Donald Trump is more likely to keep the US out of the conflict in the Middle East than Vice President Kamala Harris.
    “I might not even go vote. I don't agree with either one of them. But in the wars going on right now, if Harris gets in there, we are going to war, we are going to be at war. If Trump gets in there, we may not go to war. And I don’t want to see that for my kids and my grandkids,” he said.
    Dini’s sister, a long-time Republican and member of the Yerington Paiute Tribe, Rosemary, is also conflicted.
    “Even though I'm a Republican, I didn't really like Trump to vote for him as a president, my husband did, but I didn't. I know that my vote will count. So I'm having a hard time like my brother of who because I don't really like Harris.”
    Nevada made state history this election cycle by adding Nevada’s Effective Absentee System for Elections (EASE) online tool in each of the 28 reservations across the Silver State. For much of United States history, tribal residents have faced numerous voting challenges. The secure digital system will allow voters to register, vote, receive a ballot, and cast it entirely online.
    Walker River Paiute Tribe voting rights leader Elveda Martinez told Reuters voter turnout has been successful through the early voting period.
    According to Martinez, Native Nevadans make up a powerful voting block in the state that can potentially impact this year’s election, but she feels candidates haven’t done enough to court Native American voters.
    “We know in Indian country that we can make a difference. But the big disappointment this year in these races is that these campaigns - nobody's been here. Nobody's been to rural Nevada. Not one of them. Nobody. But they want our vote but nobody's been here.”
    (Production: Alan Devall, Jorge Garcia)
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