Tester statement on Attorney General’s Native voting rights initiative

(U.S. SENATE) – U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester today released the following statement after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged there are serious voting access issues facing Indian Country and said the Justice Department will work to address them:

“The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights we have as American citizens. It’s unacceptable that so many Native Americans face significant obstacles to exercising this right. I’m pleased the Department of Justice is looking at this issue and I look forward to working with them to pass my bill to protect the right to vote in Indian Country.”

Senator Tester recently co-sponsored the Native Voting Rights Act which prevents the closure of tribal polling places and clarifies that authorities have a duty to translate ballots into Native languages.