Mike Wenstrup: Alaska Native voting rights are under attack

Today, voting rights are under assault by political partisans whose agenda is threatened by a healthy democracy. Thirty-eight years after passage of the Voting Rights Act and 143 years after passage of the 15th Amendment, Mead Treadwell and Bob Lynn have joined Republican state legislators and gubernatorial administrations from around the country in an assault on voting rights. They are motivated by a belief that widespread participation in our democracy results in Democrats winning elections. This Republican-led national assault on our democracy would be particularly devastating in Alaska.

In Alaska, Lt Governor Mead Treadwell is spearheading a lawsuit challenging the Voting Rights Act. He and Governor Parnell are attempting to eliminate the Voting Rights Act’s Title 5 protections for Alaska Natives. Under current law, the Justice Department must approve (or “pre-clear,” in legal terms) redistricting maps, polling place closures, termination of early voting opportunities, and other electoral changes proposed by the state. Title 5’s express goal is the protection of voting representation by Alaska Natives. Title 5 protections are critical to ensure that the first Alaskans maintain their most basic civil right.