Story: Chiricahua Apache BF went back to his AZ reservation to register voters and talk about GOTV. He’s never really been politically active, and like a lot of Native Americans, he’s somewhat distrustful of government..... 1/
He explained to me that Native Americans are much more inclined to trust Native Americans when it comes to conversations about governance and voting and what constitutes “civic duty”....which of course makes perfect sense considering our nation’s history. 2/
I worked quite hard on @HillaryClinton’s campaign, and he largely supported from the sidelines. But after the election, he realized he had a unique and singular voice to reach a critical portion of the electorate, particularly in his home (swing) state of AZ. 3/
A month before the midterms, he returned to his reservation (San Carlos) to register and encourage members of his Tribe to vote—and if asked his opinion who they should vote for, he said @kyrstensinema 4/
He said that most Native Americans mail in their ballots because there aren’t polling places close by....although he was very pleased that @usps had set up a postal site on the reservation so ballots could be mailed. 5/
Additionally, in AZ, mail in ballots could be dropped of at a polling location on Election Day & as long as they were signed, they would be counted. According to BF, this is how a lot of ballots were cast from the Reservation.....filled out, signed, collected, and dropped off. 6/
Today, the election was called for @kyrstensinema in AZ, and my understanding is she nudged ahead because of ballots which were filled out, signed, and dropped off on Election Day. 7/
.@kyrstensinema is the first female Senator in AZ. She’s the first Dem Senator elected in 3 decades. I’m proud of her for all those reasons. But I’m most proud of the idea that many of those signed ballots which put her in the Senate were signed by the First People of AZ. 8/
So, this is all to say that I’m happy for @kyrstensinema and congratulate her on her historic win. I hope she remembers & is willing to fight for the rights of the First Americans in her state. Please....represent them, as more than anyone, they are entitled to your advocacy. 9/
And finally, I’m reduced to a pile of tears for my BF who did his part when it really mattered. His Tribal name is Running Eagle. Eagles are meant to fly, but he runs, because he does nothing the easy way. His grandmother knew this when she named him. 10/
I’m proud he played a part in this critical election, a part that only he could play with his unique voice.....because his voice is trusted by his Tribe. Thanks for listening Twitter family and best wishes for success in the senate @kyrstensinema 💙💙 #NativeVote @NCAI1944
