Copyright © 2004 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved
News from Cherokee Nation
Copyright © 2004 CNO
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - Peggy Carroll, 76, of Tulsa, can remember her mother telling stories of a time when Indians weren’t allowed to vote.
Peggy Carroll, holding
a button that says,
"Cherokee Vote Counts."
“Things sure have changed,” she said. “Back when I was a kid, no one (political candidates) would mention that they were for Indians. It just wasn’t cool to be Indian. Now, the Indians have a chance to count for something. They know more and there are more of them registered to vote now.”
Carroll, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, says she hasn’t missed a chance to vote in the 52 years that she has lived in the Tulsa area.
“My mom raised me to vote,” Carroll said. “That was one important day to her. I think it was a privilege for her. Not too many people in our area voted. She always said, ‘if you don’t vote, then don’t gripe about who gets in.’”
Carroll is also very proud of the efforts that her tribe is making in getting people registered to vote. The Cherokee Nation is currently registering voters at all of their offices and should reach their goal of 15,000 new voters by the time elections roll around in the fall. The Cherokee Nation has registered 20,000 voters since 2000.
“With more than 600,000 Native Americans in Oklahoma, the Indian vote counts,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “We are making sure that every one who comes to any of our offices has the opportunity to register to vote and the knowledge to make informed decisions.”
Carroll said that her family likes to know what the political candidates are all about before she votes.
To help answer tribal citizen’s questions on where the candidates stand on Native American issues, the Cherokee Nation published a voter’s guide before the July primaries and will send another voters guide to all tribal households before the November election.
“Our philosophy is that, ultimately, elected officials listen to the people that elect them, the voters,” Smith said. “By informing voters about the candidates’ stand on issues, we help the candidates get their message out and we help voters make informed choices.”
“For so long, we didn’t have the privilege of voting and now we do,” Carroll said. “We should get out there and do our part.”
For more information on the Cherokee Nation’s effort to register voters, please contact, phone: 918-458-0484.
| Related contact information: |
|
Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org
Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager |
Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org
Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation |