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Non-profit

North Dakota Native Vote

Website:

ndnativevote.org/
Location:

Bismark, ND
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Formation:

2018
Type:

Native American Advocacy Organization
Executive Director:

Nicole Montclair-Donaghy

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North Dakota Native Vote (NDNV) is a Bismarck-based Native American activism organization founded in 20181 in response to North Dakota voter identification laws. 2 It is active on North Dakota’s five American Indian reservations and in some urban centers. 3

In 2020, NDNV received a $100,000 grant from the left-of-center Northwest Area Foundation. 4 NDNV is a partner with the Annie E. Casey Foundation5 through Kids Count North Dakota;6 a member of the left-wing Movement Voter Project;7 and a part of the left-of-center ActBlue fundraising network. 8

NDNV “stands in solidarity” with the Black Lives Matter movement and claims “police brutality reinforces white supremacy and perpetuates the notion of genocide that has been ingrained into the social and political fabric of the United States.” 9

History and Leadership

North Dakota Native Vote was founded in 2018 to oppose North Dakota’s voter identification laws10 and first received tax-exempt status in 2019. 11

Nicole Montclair-Donaghy is NDNV’s executive director. 12

In 2018, Donaghy co-signed a letter in opposition to the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh,13 and in 2020, she spoke at an event in solidarity with the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Topics at the event included voting rights, police brutality, and renaming parks named after U.S. war generals. 14

In 2021, Donaghy co-signed a letter circulated by left-of-center EarthJustice thanking the Biden Administration for repealing the Keystone XL pipeline permits and urging the administration to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline project. 15

Donaghy previously worked as a field organizer for the Dakota Resource Council,16  which is a member of the left-environmentalist lobbying group Western Organization of Resource Councils Education Project. 17

Activities and Funding

NDNV’s activist work focuses on North Dakota’s five American Indian reservations and some urban areas of North Dakota. 18

In 2018, the left-wing blog Daily Kos raised more than $500,000 to support North Dakota Native Vote and the left-of-center Four Directions. 19

In 2020, NDNV received a $100,000 grant from the left-of-center Northwest Area Foundation. 20 NDNV is a partner with the Annie E. Casey Foundation21 through Kids Count North Dakota;22 a member of the left wing Movement Voter Project;23 and a part of the left-of-center ActBlue fundraising network. 24

NDNV “stands in solidarity” with the Black Lives Matter movement and claims “police brutality reinforces white supremacy and perpetuates the notion of genocide that has been ingrained into the social and political fabric of the United States.” 25

NDNV conducted the “2020 initiative” to focus its efforts on the 2020 Census26 and the 2020 election cycle. 27 NDNV’s executive director asked the state for third-party ballot pickup (sometimes called “ballot harvesting”)28 and also said she sees the state’s 2020 reliance on mail voting as an attack if “you’re an [indigenous] community.” 29

NDNV was also active on social media during this timeframe. In a post on NDNV’s Facebook page, some individuals who completed 2020 Census forms were eligible to pick up gift cards and free lunches to go upon providing proof of completion. 30

In July 2020, NDNV shared a video on its Facebook page alleging, “Trump is no friend to Native Americans” and that President Trump “gave a hate-filled speech” at Mt. Rushmore on Independence Day 2020. 31 NDNV also offered free bumper stickers to individuals who “pledged to vote” in the 2020 election on their page. 32

In 2021, NDNV supported Deb Haaland’s confirmation as Secretary of the Department of the Interior in the Biden administration. 33

References

  1. “About.” North Dakota Native Vote. Accessed April 20, 2021. http://ndnativevote.org/index.php/about/.
  2. Rickert, Levi. “North Dakota Native Vote Gains Non-profit Status; Will Have Strong Effort to Get Out the Native Vote in 2020. Native News Online. February 5, 2020. https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/north-dakota-native-vote-gains-non-profit-status-will-have-strong-effort-to-get-out-the-native-vote-in-2020.
  3. MacPherson, James. “North Dakota launches Native Vote campaign.” Associated Press. February 5, 2020. https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/north-dakota-launches-native-vote-campaign.
  4. 2020 Grant Listings. Northwest Area Foundation. Accessed April 14, 2021. https://www.nwaf.org/our-grantmaking/grant-listing/
  5. “About.” North Dakota Native Vote. Accessed April 20, 2021. http://ndnativevote.org/index.php/about/.
  6. “About Us.” Kids Count North Dakota. Accessed April 22, 2021. https://ndkidscount.org/about-us.
  7. “Browse Groups – North Dakota Native Vote.” Movement Voter Project. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://movement.vote/groups/?search=north%20dakota.
  8. “North Dakota Native Vote.” ActBlue. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/68355.
  9. “North Dakota Native Vote Stands with Black Lives Matter.” North Dakota Native Vote Blog. June 11, 2020. http://ndnativevote.org/index.php/2020/06/11/north-dakota-native-vote-stands-with-black-lives-matter/.
  10. About.” North Dakota Native Vote. Accessed April 20, 2021. http://ndnativevote.org/index.php/about/.
  11. “North Dakota Native Vote.” IRS Form 990-N (e-Postcard). Accessed April 20, 2021. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/detailsPage?ein=843312533&name=NORTH%20DAKOTA%20NATIVE%20VOTE&city=Bismarck&state=ND&countryAbbr=US&dba=&type=EPOSTCARD&orgTags=EPOSTCARD.
  12. “Staff.” North Dakota Native Vote. Accessed April 21, 2021. http://ndnativevote.org/index.php/staff/.
  13. Letter to the Editor. “Kavanaugh’s record poses threat to Native People’s rights and lifeways.” Minot Daily News. August 20, 2018. https://www.minotdailynews.com/opinion/letters/2018/08/letters-to-the-editor-6/.
  14. Griffith, Michelle. “Native Americans in Bismarck come together in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.” INFORUM. June 19, 2020. https://www.inforum.com/news/6543407-Native-Americans-in-Bismarck-come-together-in-solidarity-with-Black-Lives-Matter.
  15. Letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris.  EarthJustice.org. February 8, 2021. Accessed April 22, 2021. https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/letter-to-biden-harris-shutdown-dapl.pdf.
  16. “Nicole Donaghy, North Dakota.” Speech on Earthworks YouTube Channel. Speech delivered at the U.S. EPA public hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 12, 2017. Accessed April 22, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTg0xafHpKM.
  17. “Member Groups.” Western Organization of Resource Councils. Accessed April 22, 2021. http://www.worc.org/who-we-are/member-groups/.
  18. MacPherson, James. “North Dakota launches Native Vote campaign.” Associated Press. February 5, 2020. https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/north-dakota-launches-native-vote-campaign.
  19. Lind, Neeta. “North Dakota native Vote: An organization the Daily Kos community helped build.” Daily Kos Community Blog. February 13, 2020. https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2020/2/13/1917574/-North-Dakota-Native-Vote-An-organization-the-Daily-Kos-community-helped-build?fbclid=IwAR0Yi-Lv4EwV5MmJKyCIozL6V4WmhXCC2ffqnonvcKTmEteIgMAlOdp-GjQ.
  20. 2020 Grant Listings. Northwest Area Foundation. Accessed April 14, 2021. https://www.nwaf.org/our-grantmaking/grant-listing/.
  21. “About.” North Dakota Native Vote. Accessed April 20, 2021. http://ndnativevote.org/index.php/about/.
  22. “About Us.” Kids Count North Dakota.
  23. “Browse Groups – North Dakota Native Vote.” Movement Voter Project. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://movement.vote/groups/?search=north%20dakota.
  24. “North Dakota Native Vote.” ActBlue. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/68355.
  25. “North Dakota Native Vote Stands with Black Lives Matter.” North Dakota Native Vote Blog. June 11, 2020. http://ndnativevote.org/index.php/2020/06/11/north-dakota-native-vote-stands-with-black-lives-matter/.
  26. Rickert, Levi. “North Dakota Native Vote Gains Non-profit Status; Will Have Strong Effort to Get Out the Native Vote in 2020. Native News Online. February 5, 2020. https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/north-dakota-native-vote-gains-non-profit-status-will-have-strong-effort-to-get-out-the-native-vote-in-2020.
  27. Dura, Jack. “North Dakota Native Vote plans to maximize voter turnout.” Bismarck Tribune. February 6, 2020. Updated March 13, 2021. https://www.willistonherald.com/news/state/north-dakota-native-vote-plans-to-maximize-voter-turnout/article_db364c8e-491a-11ea-b421-0fa01bb7b561.html.
  28. Zoledziowski, Anya. “Indigenous Voters are Getting Hit Hard by Polling Station Cuts in North Dakota.” Vice News. October 22, 2020. https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy8gnx/indigenous-voters-are-getting-hit-hard-by-polling-station-cuts-in-north-dakota.
  29. Zoledziowski, Anya. “Indigenous Voters are Getting Hit Hard by Polling Station Cuts in North Dakota.” Vice News. October 22, 2020. https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy8gnx/indigenous-voters-are-getting-hit-hard-by-polling-station-cuts-in-north-dakota.
  30. “Mandaree fam, get out and get counted!! We’re Indigenous and we count! #2020Census.” North Dakota Native Vote. Facebook. August 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20210420173744/https://www.facebook.com/NorthDakotaNativeVote/photos/a.171582137633124/219682692823068/?type=3&theater=.
  31. Video Post. North Dakota Native Vote. July 25, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/NorthDakotaNativeVote/videos/277731083524059/?__so__=channel_tab&__rv__=all_videos_card.
  32. “Take the pledge to vote in the #2020election today! Text 22828 to pledge.” North Dakota Native Vote. Facebook. August 4, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/NorthDakotaNativeVote/photos/a.171582137633124/215683189889685/?type=3&theater.
  33. Rickert, Levi. “Praise for Deb Haaland Becoming Interior Secretary from Around the Country.” Native News Online. March 16, 2021. https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/praise-for-deb-haaland-becoming-interior-secretary-from-around-the-country.
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North Dakota Native Vote


Bismark, ND