NUMBER OF COVID CASES AS VOTERS
HEAD INTO ELECTION DAY.
THE 2020 ELECTIONS ARE TURNING
OUT ALL KINDS OF NEW VOTERS.
BUT WISCONSIN'S NATIVE VOTE IS
SEEING A TIDAL WAVE OF
ENTHUSIASM LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
MARISA WOJCIK BRINGS US THIS
REPORT FROM INDIGENOUS VOICES
ACROSS THE STATE AND WORK BEING
DONE ON THE GROUND IN MENOMINEE
COUNTY.
>> I BELIEVE 'CAUSE THE STAKES
ARE HIGHER.
I BELIEVE THIS, YOU KNOW.
I SHOULDN'T SAY I.
WE BELIEVE THE STAKES ARE
HIGHER.
>> THROUGHOUT 2020, AN ENERGY
HAS BEEN BUILDING TO TURN OUT
WISCONSIN'S NATIVE VOTE.
>> WE'VE CREATED A STATEMENT,
WE'VE CREATED AN IDEA AND A
BELIEF THROUGHOUT THE STATE WITH
OUR ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS THIS
YEAR.
>> REGIONAL ORGANIZERS ACROSS
THE STATE HAVE BEEN WORKING
OVERTIME TO GET THEIR MESSAGE
OUT, LIKE JOHN TELLER OF THE
WISCONSIN MENOMINEE INDIAN TRIBE
OF WISCONSIN.
>> IN 2016 MENOMINEE COUNTY
RANKED LAST IN THE STATE IN
VOTER TURNOUT, WITH ABOUT 48%.
IF WE CAN GET OVER 50%, MY GOAL
IS 60%, 70%, 80%.
>> HE DISTRIBUTED HUNDREDS OF
CARE PACKAGES WITH VOTING
INFORMATION, HAND SANITIZER AND
MASKS.
ORGANIZERS HAVE HAD TO GET
CREATIVE WITH THEIR ENGAGEMENT
EFFORTS.
>> WHETHER IT'S BILLBOARD
CAMPAIGNS, CAR PARADES
THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITIES,
THERE'S A REAL EXCITEMENT AND A
REAL SORT OF INNOVATIVE
ATMOSPHERE.
WE'LL TRY ANYTHING TO GET THE
WORLD OUT.
>> POLITICAL ACTIVES LIKE PAUL
WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN
POLITICS FOR DECADES SAYS
THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT
ABOUT THIS ELECTION SEASON.
AND TURNING OAT OUT NEW VOTERS COULD
BE ENOUGH TO SWING THE ELECTION.
>> THE 2020 ELECTION CYCLE HAS
BEEN A CYCLE WHERE I HAVE NEVER
SEEN AS MUCH ENERGY ON BOTH THE
LOCAL, THE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL
LEVEL TO TURN OUT THE INDIGENOUS
VOLT.
>> IN HIS EXPERIENCE, VOTERS IN
THE GREAT LAKES AREA TEND TO BE
MORE ASSOCIATED WITH THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF
REPUBLICAN, IN THE AND
THIRD-PARTY VOTERS.
>> I DON'T CARE IF YOU VOTE FOR
THE PERSON I VOTE FOR.
I CARE THAT YOU EXERCISE YOUR
VOTE TO SHOW THIS COMMUNITY
CARES, IS INVOLVED, IS GOING TO
MAKE ITS VOICE KNOWN.
>> I THINK THE MORE WE HAVE
BECOME MORE VISIBLE.
>> THE STATEWIDE CAMPAIGN FOR
THE WISCONSIN NATIVE VOTE.
>> WE'RE SEEING THAT MORE AND
MORE LEGISLATORS, PEOPLE WHO ARE
RUNNING FOR OFFICE OR PEOPLE WHO
ARE INCUMBENTS ARE REACHING OUT
TO TRIBAL COMMUNITIES.
>> THE INTERESTS OF NATIVE
VOICES ARE AS DIVERSE AS ANY
OTHER COMMUNITY, BUT THERE ARE
SOME THINGS THAT UNIFY THIS
VOTING BLOC.
>> WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY AS
NATIVE PEOPLE TO THE LAND AND
AIR AND WATER AND TO BE
PROTECTORS.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND WE ALSO
HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN OUR
LANGUAGE PRESERVATION, IN
�MAINTAINING THE SOCIAL SYSTEMS
THAT ARE TRADITIONAL FOR US, OUR
CULTURAL PRACTICES, OUR UNIQUE
HISTORIES THAT ARE VERY
DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER.
SO THAT PLEDGE TO REMEMBER OUR
OBLIGATIONS, TO SORT OF PAY
HOMAGE TO OUR ELDERS AND TO THE
VETERANS AND TO ALSO UNDERSTAND
THAT WE HAVE A VERY HEART-FELT
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SEVENTH
GENERATION.
>> YOU'RE NOT JUST THINKING
ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN
PRESENT DAY.
YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN THAT SEVENTH
GENERATION THAT ISN'T EVEN HERE
YET.
IF THEY TRULY ARE THINKING OF
NATIVE PEOPLE, THEY KNOW.
THEY KNOW THAT STORY AND THEY
KNOW THAT SEVENTH PERSON THAT
MAY BE COMING AND HOW IMPORTANT
THAT IS.
INDIGENOUS WOMEN, WATER RIGHTS,
SOVEREIGNTY.
THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE
RESPECTED WHEN YOU CAST THAT
VOTE.
YOU MAKE SURE THAT THAT PERSON
HAS THOSE SAME THOUGHTS OR AT
LEAST WILLING TO LISTEN, WILLING
TO HAVE THAT OPENNESS TO LISTEN
TO THE NATIVE VOICE.
>> A RECENT AND RAPID SURGE IN
COVID-19 CASES HAS CHALLENGED
ORGANIZERS TRYING TO SAFELY
REACH VOTERS.
MENOMINEE COUNTY HAS THE STATE'S
HIGHEST CASE RIGHT AND IS
PRIMARILY MADE OF TRIBAL
MEMBERS.
VOTING IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY
CAN BE DONE SAFELY.
>> THE INCIDENT COMMAND LOOKED
AT THE SAFETY PLANS FOR THE
VOTING AND WE FEEL LIKE IT CAN
BE DONE IN A SAFE, SAFE MANNER,
WITH THE USUAL THINGS IN PLACE,
WITH MASKING AND DISTANCING.
>> DESPITE THE CORONAVIRUS THIS
YEAR, IT'S BEEN A VERY
CHALLENGING YEAR I THINK FOR
EVERYONE.
DESPITE THOSE OBSTACLES, I GET
THE SENSE THAT THIS YEAR IS
GOING TO BE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC.
>> I MEAN, IF THERE'S NO OTHER
TIME IN HISTORY, THIS IS THE
TIME.
YOU NEED TO GET OUT THERE AND
VOTE.
YOU NEED TO GET OUT THERE AND
LET THEM KNOW WE ARE STILL HERE.
WE ARE STILL IMPORTANT.
AND WE WILL NOT GO AWAY.
>> FOR "HERE AND NOW," I'M
MARISA