New article content goes hereTigua Bill Hits Roadblock Over Tribal Women Not Voting
Chavez organizing delegation of Tigua women to meet with Bolton
We already know that Norma Chávez (D-El Paso) has run into some unusual problems trying to pass legislation that would have the state look the other way while the Tiguas near El Paso re-open their casino.
Last session, a tie vote sunk the bill with then-Speaker Craddick refusing to cast the vote that would have bailed out his supporter. This year, some offhand pleasantries between a lawmaker and Tigua officials have put Chávez in the delicate position of having to explain why Tigua women don’t have the right to vote in tribal elections.
About a week and a half ago, a couple of Tigua officials were meeting with Rep. Valinda Bolton (D-Austin) trying to get support for the bill. As they were leaving, one of the officials noted that he is elected annually “by the men of the tribe.”
Bolton was taken aback. She told QR that she then asked whether women voted in tribal elections. She was told no. Concerned by what she describes as the disenfranchisement of the Tigua women, she has since talked to about a dozen colleagues about the issue. She said that she would like some sort of accommodation.
Chávez said that she is organizing a group of Tigua women to meet with Bolton’s group. She also said that she has found documentation that Tigua women have been offered the right to vote twice in the past but that they refused.
“They have their traditions and customs,” Chávez said. “This is their tradition and I don’t believe it’s our place to infringe.”
Bolton said she’s not trying to kill the bill but she would like to have her concerns addressed in some way. She added that she considered whether to question the tribal customs but decided it was a good idea to speak out. With Voter ID a big issue this session, she thought it interesting that lawmakers would offer help to a tribe that disenfranchises at least half its adults.
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