Our Theory of Change

Due to centuries of government-led genocide and forced removal, the long-held worldview of Native peoples was to resist and exist despite of, and not because of, engagement with government and institutions. This includes everything from voting systems to county health and human services to the census. California Native Vote Project demonstrates the urgent need for our communities to engage in these systems, not as an act of assimilation, but as an act of political power and self determination. 

California Native Vote Project’s work focuses on Integrated Voter Engagement, a strategy that joins together the important work of community organizing, leadership development, and voter education, registration and protections. Integrated Voter Engagement is an effective way to engage communities on issues that impact them most while building the political infrastructure needed to create and change policies and sustain a long-term, people-driven movement. California Native Vote Project is the first and only project in California to utilize this strategy to build community and political power for the betterment of all Native peoples.