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Groups Document Voting Rights Abuses in Indian Country

Courtesy of Maya Kane/Indian Country Media Network

Election sites far from reservations. Poll workers who don't speak tribal languages. Unequal access to early voting sites.

Native Americans say they've encountered a wide range of obstacles that makes voting difficult.

Advocates have been spending the past few months gathering stories from around Indian Country in hopes that tribal members can wield more influence in elections, and improve health, education and the economy on reservations.

A coalition of voting rights groups is holding a field hearing Thursday in Phoenix to hear testimony.

The Native American Rights Fund says it believes the information compiled will be the most comprehensive look at voting rights abuses in Indian Country.

Tribes successfully have challenged what they see as discriminatory voting practices around the U.S., often arguing violations of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

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