Make Voting A Tradition (MVAT)

Before MVAT existed, the Urban Native community struggled with getting community members to vote and become civically engaged. Mistrust of government; lack of real engagement from officials; and gatekeepers of resources bred disinterest in the democratic process. Native people were not allowed to vote on their own land until 1924 with the Indian Citizenship Act and prior to this act were not even considered US citizens. Though voting rights are now guaranteed and US citizenship has been granted for Native people, the legacy of exclusion and systematic oppression has scarred our communities.

MVAT understands the impacts of this legacy because our program leader and her people live and experience it. This lived experience in understanding, however, allows us to engage with the community in a very meaningful way. For MVAT, we know that when our Native people vote, it is not a simple cast of the ballot; it is a powerful act and assertion of Indigenous presence and resistance against disenfranchisement.

Over the past 11 years, MVAT has been able to redefine civic engagement and renew participation in the democratic process for the Urban Native community and beyond. We engage our community members year-round through intergenerational and cultural-based approaches. The fundamental principle of MVAT is that Native Americans are more likely to become more politically active when engaged by their peers. Through our non-partisan, peer-to-peer method, we support and educate voters as they contribute to the public policy shaping process and take their civic steps in helping define the future for their community.