Following the October 9 US Supreme Court decision to uphold North Dakota's new voter ID law, Native American organizations have organized a free concert to help get out the vote. The event will feature Dave Matthews, Mark Ruffalo and Native American performers such as Auntie Beachress, Lakota Thunder and the Dancers of the Northern Plains, Scotti Clifford & Spirits Cry, and Prolific the Rapper. The law, upheld by the Supreme Court just weeks before the election, requires that all IDs used at the polls include a street address - thereby disenfranchising the many Native American voters who only have a P.O. Box on their tribal identification cards.
The intent of the event is to take a united stand against rampant voter suppression, not only in North Dakota, but nationally. The event is also intended help Get Out the Vote in the upcoming November 6 midterm elections, and to encourage native voters to get new tribal IDs so that they can vote in this election. This non-partisan concert event will be held at Prairie Knights Casino on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, and is free, on a first-come first-served basis. Non-profit groups including Western Native Voice-ND will be on site distributing information about voting rights and the process to obtain the new identification required to vote.
Following the event, Western Native Voice-ND will be organizing "Stand-N-Vote" events at other reservations across North Dakota that will feature Mark Ruffalo and others to help drive voter turnout and help people get new ID's. In conjunction with the concert, a "Stand-N-Vote" social media campaign will be launched including a short video featuring Native comedian Tonia Jo Hall's "Auntie Beachress," Mark Ruffalo, and Shailene Woodley pointing viewers to a website where they can pledge to vote on November 6th -- and then get a reminder to vote.
Where: Prairie Knights Casino 7932 ND-24, Cannon Ball, N*E*R*D 58528
When: Saturday, October 27, 7pm Doors
Videos