New Book on Native Vote

As if timed to coincide with Matthew's last post, the Cambridge University Press has released a new book on the importance of the native vote, and all of the cases challenging efforts to block it. As Matthew says, not enough Indian law scholars follow this issue, although it is an increasingly important one in Indian country and national politics. The press release below gives some more information on the book:

While American Indians are not the most influential minority group in the United States, a new book written by a team of University of Utah researchers says their growing influence in national and local politics could make them a deciding factor in future elections.

The book Native Vote. American Indians, The Voting Rights Act and the Right to Vote (Cambridge University Press, 2007) co-authored by Dan McCool, director of the University of Utah's American West Center, points to specific elections in which the American Indian vote has helped carry the Democratic candidate to office. The book argues that the power of the American Indian vote has relied on their voting as a Democratic block, originating back to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today, this voting behavior makes them particularly important, especially in state races.

"For such a small population, they can be pivotal in future closely contested elections," McCool said.

See:
http://media.www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/paper244/news/2007/06/11/News/Future.Elections.May.Hinge.On.Indian.Vote.Book.Says-2913668.shtml

The book is the first to comprehensively chronicle more than 70 voting rights cases brought in the courts by American Indians since the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965.

Publisher’s link: http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521548717