Voter Registration Efforts Continue in the Community
GRIN Staff
Gila River Indian News
In the 2020 Presidential Elections, the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) witnessed a 50 percent voter turnout, with 2,758 out of 5,520 registered voters casting their ballots. As 2024 approaches another election year, GRIC’s Communications & Public Affairs Office (CPAO)), in partnership with Maricopa and Pinal County, is pushing efforts to register Community members for the upcoming State and Federal elections. Having already hosted three voter registration events in Districts 1, 5, and most recently in District 7, the endeavor to ensure registration for all Community members continues.
The latest voter registration event occurred on May 8 in the lobby of the District 7 Multipurpose Building. Maricopa County, the Intertribal Council of Arizona (ITCA), and the GRIC Tribal Elections Department were also present, emphasizing the importance of the Native vote.
Each organization hosted its own tables, encouraging participation in federal and state elections and reinforcing the significance of tribal governance and representation.
“We are providing voter information to the Community,” said ITCA’s Civic Engagement Tribal Coordinator, Alexander Castillo-Nunez. “We help them prepare for non-tribal elections, like the primary in July and the general elections in November.”
Nunez and his colleague, Cassie Santoro, Social Media Manager, previously presented to the Community on voter information during the Elder Concerns Meeting in District 3 in April. They continue to engage with the Community and show their support.
ITCA provided incentives such as voting T-shirts for adults and youth, hats, and personalized voting bags containing essential information for preparing for the upcoming non-tribal elections.
“We are just trying to get new people either, registered or get them updated,” said Tribal Elections program representative, Valerie Rivera, District 6. Coming down from their most recent Community event which occurred before May 7, Rivera was there to help Community members make any necessary updates for voting within tribal elections.
Deputy Registrar Outreach Coordinator of the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office Sarah Frechette stated that her purpose was to register members of the Community to vote. “My secondary purpose is to recruit people to volunteer with us and take the training in voter registration,” said Frechette.
Frechette explained that the mechanics of voting can be taught through the Deputy Registrar training program. The more people volunteer, the more they can become the trusted voices in assisting others throughout the process of voting.
During previous voter registration events in Districts 1 and 5, the Pinal County voter engagement team, Pinal Votes, actively participated in Community outreach efforts, utilizing their Mobile Voter Outreach unit to facilitate voter registration.
At the District 1 Voter Registration event on April 11, in Blackwater, Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis joined her Pinal Votes team to engage with the Community. Lewis emphasized the importance of voter registration, stating, “We’re out here with the voter outreach mobile unit making sure we register people to vote. We encourage everybody to come out and register to vote today. “
In District 5, Council Reps. Gordon Santos Jr. and James De La Rosa demonstrated their support by attending the Voter Registration event on April 24. Both interacted with Community members, encouraging their District to register for the upcoming 2024 elections.
Through collaboration and outreach efforts, CPAO, the Tribal Elections program alongside ITCA, Maricopa County, and Pinal County, sets a commendable practice. By prioritizing voter registration and civic involvement, they pave the way for a more inclusive and representative democratic process.
The upcoming 2024 State Primary Election is on July 30, 2024, with the voter registration deadline of July 1, 2024. The State General Election is on November 5, 2024, with the voter registration deadline of October 7, 2024.
The next voter registration drive will be in District 2, on May 29, 2024, at the District 2 Service Center, from 10AM-2PM, in collaboration with Pinal County. You can learn more about the upcoming elections by visiting www.mygilariver.com/index.php/gric-vote.