The ICT Newscast for Friday, October 30, 2026, covers voting in Indian Country, Thunder Valley buffalo and more from the Black Hills powwow. Check out the ICT Newscast on YouTube for this episode and more.
ICT’s national database tracks Indigenous candidate
Since 2018, ICT has tracked Indigenous candidates during presidential and midterm elections. The first-of-its-kind database was started by former ICT editor Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, in 2016. The number of Indigenous candidates this year has increased by nearly 400 percent, when compared to 2016. Advance Native Political Leadership’s Jordan James Harvill, Cherokee and Choctaw, gives his analysis on this year’s elections, and Iowa state legislature candidate Jessica Lopez Walker, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, talks about the importance of representation in public office.
Rural and reservation voters face obstacles
Megan Gall, principal with Blockwell Consulting says registration declined 59% from 2020 to 2024 and that is compared to 22% nationally. The system doesn’t make it easy to register and vote, as many rural residents still do not have standard mailing addresses. In Alaska, mail-in voting is critical, according to Tristan Douville, a special projects manager for Tlingit And Haida Indian Tribes Of Alaska. In small remote villages, there may be no access to in-person voting.
Wisconsin Natives look at issues in the midterm election
Nonprofit organization Wisconsin Native Vote works to uplift Indigenous voters statewide. ICT and PBS Wisconsin correspondent Erica Ayisi caught up with the group during a recent visit to the Bad River Reservation in the Wisconsin Northwoods to discuss civic engagement ahead of the midterm elections.
Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation welcomes 50 relatives
The Oglala Lakota, like most tribal people, consider bison, or buffalo, to be relatives. In a unique land lease from the tribe, Thunder Valley is healing the land and welcoming the buffalo back. Brandon Big Eagle, Lakota Land Systems Director said it’s been years in the making.
Ghost stories
Peepeekisis Cree content creator Desirae Desnomie loves to tell scary stories. Every fall, the North Dakota-based mother posts stories of her own as well as stories from across Indian Country to her TikTok, @desiraedesnomie. ICT’s Amelia Schafer spoke to Desnomie about the inspiration behind the series.
Black Hills Powwow highlights
Outgoing Miss He Sapa Win Tyler Star Come Out honored traditional women dancers. Krystal Two Bulls explains why. The Great Plains Tribal Health Board knows that the future is with healthy children. Layne Knox, program manager for Healthy Start, reaches out to nursing mothers at the powwow.
View previous ICT broadcasts here every week for the latest news from around Indian Country.
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