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Politics
Report on South Dakota voting rights released


The Leadership Conference for Civil Rights released a report on Native American voting rights in South Dakota.

Janine Pease, a member of the Crow Tribe, authored "Voting Rights in South Dakota 1982-2006." Her report said Native Americans face discrimination and outright hostility at the polls.

Native voters have filed more than a dozen voting rights cases in the state. Most have been resolved in favor of Native voters.

Native voters have also gone to the polls in record numbers, although their participation rate still lags the rest of the state.

The report was written as Congress considers reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. The Leadership Conference for Civil Rights said the report shows the law is still needed.

Get the Story:
Voting-rights report slams S.D. (The Rapid City Journal 5/18)
Report: Voting rights unfair (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 5/18)

Civil Rights Report:
Voting Rights in South Dakota, 1982-2006 (May 17, 2006)

Rcent Voting Rights Court Decision:
Pearl Cottier v. Martin (May 5, 2006)

Case Documents:
Pearl Cottier v. City of Martin (8th Circuit Court of Appeals)

Relevant Links:
Leadership Conference for Civil Rights - http://www.civilrights.org
American Civil Liberties Union of the Dakotas - http://www.acludakotas.org

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