“Something Else”: The Polarization of Indigenous Nations during the 2020 American Presidential Election

Lauren McLeod, Online Assistant Editor

November 27, 2020

The 2020 American Presidential Election presented a rise in political polarization and has formed immense divides especially shown throughout socio-ethnic communities across the nation. With Six Indigenous peoples elected to congress, the US saw a new record and a formation of proper representation for American Indigenous nations. However, mass media outlet CNN presented an extensive step backwards with their nation-wide coverage on the Indigenous voting demographic in this election. On Tuesday November 3rd, 2020, during the CNN network’s live coverage of the election, the large news outlet presented polling statistics from different racial demographics throughout the US. This chart was broken down into the categories of White, Latino, Black, Asian and Something Else, this ‘something else’ alluding to the Indigenous population of the US.

The Indigenous vote in US elections has been increasingly under acknowledged within the American political realm. With over 5.2 million Indigenous peoples across the US, the effects of indigenous voters have great potential for swing voting, in not only Alaska but as well several other states. Alaskan Indigenous citizens make up approximately 20% of the state’s population and therefore have great influence for voting.

During the 2020 Presidential election, the Indigenous populations played a crucial role for the victory of Joe Biden. This was shown in states such as Arizona, where Indigenous peoples comprise close to six percent of the overall state population and the urban areas of Phoenix and Tucson having high rates of Indigenous voters. Election statistics illuminated that over three of the major counties that coincide with the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe had a high voting rate for the candidate Joe Biden, at  57%. The Navajo Nation played a key role in swinging Arizona blue for only the second time in the last 60 years, where it is thought that 60% of the Navajo Nation voted for Biden[6]. Therefore, the dismissal by American media sources of the effects of Indigenous peoples as crucial voters portrays a misleading illusion of their importance in key states such as Arizona, New Mexico and North Dakota. 

The language used by the American based international news outlet sparked outrage in  the Indigenous population not only within the U.S but as well globally. The ignorance displayed by CNN had led to a racist rhetoric of erasing the Indigenous political voice  and image on a nation-wide stage. Famous Indigenous podcast host of This Land, Rebecca Nagle, made a public statement expressing her anger towards the ignorance displayed on one of the most significant political nights in the world, the American Presidential election, by one of the most influential mass media sources. She dictated “in an election largely driven by race, the media still fails to accurately cover voters of color, For Native American, we’re not even named”. As well, large Indigenous communities within Alaska have rallied together in strength over their anger of being invisible as voters and having social and political authority in the wake of 2020 racially empowered activist environment. Barbara Wàahlaal Glidaak Blake the director of Alaska Native Policy Center said, “it was rough to see our population ‘invisible’.

This action by CNN has generated a social media response, circulating the hashtag #SomethingElse, which trended amongst the majority of Indigenous Twitter, Facebook and Instagram population. This hashtag was created for the use of potential attention and awareness drawn to CNN with the hopes of education towards the continued polarization and erasure of Indigenous nations across the US. According to news sources Alaska Public Media and Canadian Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, CNN has issued an apology for their graphic of ‘something else’ shown globally on the night of election. CNN dictated that “the network did not intend to minimize the importance of indigenous communities and the Native American Vote”, and motioned that they have corrected the graphic. However, CNN has yet to go public, such as releasing or televising  their formal apologies in a news report. The actions done by CNN to minimize the nations of Indigenous peoples across the US and, consequently globally, have major implications on the future of international governmental and Indigenous relationships. Additionally, it  shows a distrust of highly dominant and persuasive public media sources to properly represent the Indigenous nation’s needs.

This rhetoric formed by CNN has manufactured a dangerous language of not solely the imperceptibility of Indigenous citizens within the US but depreciated the ability to gain proper autonomy and self-determination as a nation. Indigenous peoples were not racially grouped as a minority population but completely erased from the conversation of vital demographics during one of the most controversial and important elections of the century. This wrongdoing by CNN, has as well been immensely unacknowledged by prominent and credible new sources, presenting a capitalist ideology of unaccountability for powerful corporations deciding the agendas brought forth. Thus, the action by a prominent American socio-political media outlet perpetuates the existence of systemic racism, overshadowing the importance of minority voters and has the possibility for translating ideologies into a global social sphere which further damages identities of indigenous citizens internationally.

I think the wording here is just a bit confusing - 'had led' makes it seem as though CNN caused more racist rhetoric (which is very much true and possible!) but from my understanding CNN has contributed/used/furthered racist rhetoric and erasure. Just switching the wording around would help!

I think shifting around the words could help make this clearer - are you trying to say that corporations decide on agendas of important issues and aren't held accountable for this?

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