National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC), based in Seattle, WA represents a coalition of urban Indian nonprofits dedicated to elevating the voices of American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban communities. Their mission is clear: to sustain Indigenous values and culture through a strong network of urban Indian organizations, making them a crucial partner in our efforts to ensure every eligible citizen has the opportunity to register and vote.
NUIFC focuses on urban Native communities, a group often overlooked in traditional Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts. As they pointed out, “Urban Native people are often left out of traditional GOTV efforts, since when people consider Natives, they often think of those living on reservation communities.” To address this gap, NUIFC works with trusted community-based organizations that have unique access to these voters. This approach ensures that their voter registration efforts are inclusive and reach communities that might otherwise be missed.
Since 2020, the NUIFC’s Democracy is Indigenous cohort has been hosting NVRD events nationwide, turning the day into a true celebration of civic engagement. “Our Cohort has been having NVRD events every year since 2020 and have registered more than a thousand voters during that time frame,” they shared. “Each one of our organizations looks forward to joining in and putting on an NVRD event.”
This consistent participation has allowed NUIFC’s member organizations to create traditions around NVRD. The NUIFC leadership team highlighted one such success story: “It’s been a joy to watch an organization, like Rock the Native Vote (RNV) in Oklahoma City, build a tradition around NVRD and have it become something they are talking about at the start of the year.” Starting in 2020, RNV transformed NVRD into a city-wide celebration in Oklahoma City, complete with traditional Native dancers, food trucks, a ferris wheel, and an official proclamation from the mayor.
Building on this success, RNV expanded their efforts in 2022 to include more than 10 concurrent events across Oklahoma. Over the past five years, RNV has become a powerhouse of civic engagement, working with partners like Voto Latino to increase voter turnout and even helping to elect the first Latino to the Oklahoma City Council. They’ve hosted over 100 community events focused on civic engagement, organized a network of statewide events for NVRD, and pursued a visible public media strategy with billboards and bus signs seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
As a national convener, NUIFC’s role is to support and amplify the efforts of the 24 organizations in their Democracy is Indigenous cohort. These local nonprofits are the ones on the ground, directly engaging with voters. Based on the success of organizations RNV, it’s clear NUIFC’s support and commitment to making sure urban Native voices are heard is paying off.
To continue to build on their efforts, NUIFC is pulling out all the stops for this year’s NVRD, working hard to ensure their member organizations are well-prepared—they’ve been discussing event ideas with their cohort since their gathering in May. “The NUIFC will be sending out thousands of civic engagement themed items and resources out to our Cohort over the next few weeks,” they explained. This includes voter registration handouts, a special Democracy Is Indigenous (DII) swag package that includes a set of NUIFC DII T-shirts. “We are providing our organizations information that we get from NVRD so they can make sure the messaging is in line with everyone else’s,” they shared. They also collect photos and stories about the work their cohort is doing to amplify NVRD, spreading the holiday’s message of civic engagement across their national social media platforms.
As we count down to National Voter Registration Day, we’re thrilled to have partners like the National Urban Indian Family Coalition on board. Their dedication to engaging urban Native communities in the democratic process is truly inspiring. By working with trusted local organizations, providing resources, and leveraging both traditional and digital outreach methods, NUIFC is helping to ensure that every eligible Native voter in urban areas has the opportunity to make their voice heard.