Politics and views in the United States.

Native Americans aim to increase voter turnout, the Justice Department sues Virginia over a purge of its voter rolls, and reproductive freedom is on the ballot in the New Hampshire governor's race.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Vote in tribal elections, community elections, state and national elections, every election you can.

Guide the future of our people.

Montana poet laureate Chris Letre encourages his fellow Native Americans to register and vote.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act, granting the ballot to Indigenous people.

Still, Letre warns of efforts to suppress their voting.

The Montana Supreme Court recently blocked measures designed to limit remote ballot collection on Indian lands.

The state has appealed to the Supreme Court.

The Justice Department is suing Virginia over voter roll maintenance.

Officials charge the state is illegally purging thousands of names too close to the election.

Don Callaway with the National Voter Protection Fund calls it blatant voter suppression.

There's no universe in which changing voting procedures and rules 90 days before an election or within this window should be remotely legal.

Virginia officials say they're removing individuals identified as noncitizens.

The Justice Department sued Alabama last month over a similar voter purge.

According to the Brennan Center, the few cases of noncitizens registering are essentially always an unintentional paperwork glitch.

It is illegal and extremely rare for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.

Reproductive rights could decide the New Hampshire governor's race.

Democratic former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Republican former U.S.

Senator Kelly Ayotte both claim to champion women's health.

But Kayla Montgomery with Planned Parenthood in New Hampshire says Ayotte voted for a national abortion ban and supported overturning Roe.

We can't put our trust in someone who has been against abortion rights and against reproductive freedoms her entire career.

Ayotte says if elected, she wouldn't change the state's current law, which allows abortions up to 24 weeks, or back new restrictions.

Rural folks tend to be swing voters, and they could decide the outcome of the presidential race.

Sarah Janes with the Rural Democracy Initiative says right now, polls show their biggest concerns are threats to democracy and the economy.

They're very focused on working people as kind of the heroes of the economy and concerns that impact working class people.

A new report from the Pew Research Center finds the presidential race could come down to fewer than one in seven currently undecided voters.

Surveys show voters with disabilities in Nevada continue to prefer voting by mail.

Lawmakers there have expanded eligibility for the state's online registration and voting system known as EASE.

Dora Uchell with the Nevada Disability Peer Action Coalition calls it a game changer for those with physical challenges and others in rural parts of the state.

People with disability and military families can stay home or be wherever they're at as long as they have an internet access so they can access the website and cast their ballot.

I'm Catherine Carley for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.