Cheyenne River E-Politics

In any political campaign, one of the biggest expense items is the cost of travel. It takes a lot of money for presidential candidates to travel around the U.S. trying to shake the hand of every potential voter.

In a dirt-poor part of the Lakota Nation - on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota -  travel to distant parts of the reservation is equally expensive for those running for Tribal Office.

So, in what may be the first Votelink Town Hall of its kind, Phyllis Bald Eagle, a Lakota-Sioux from Cheyenne River, plans to include an on-going E-town Hall as part of her out-reach campaign. Along with traditional Pow Wows, telephone contact, and door-to-door campaigning, she’ll invite Natives throughout her district to reach out to her via the Internet.

Like most third-world countries, America’s Indian Reservations lack amenities that most U.S. citizens take for granted. Few homes have access to computers and the Internet. So community centers, like tribal schools and colleges, where there is access to the Internet, may also become centers of communications for the tribe.

A Native who lacks access to the Internet and wants to voice a concern, or suggest a solution, may be able  to have a student or staff member post their comments online. 

In building a bridge between traditional and modern ways, this experiment in electronic democracy, forged by a Native woman running for political office, may do more than provide a voice to those whose concerns often go unheard, it may also provide on-going insights and solutions to long-standing problems. 

The wisdom of the community it seems, is an untapped gold mine.