This Diné leader is using horses to bring ‘the greatest Native turnout ever’ to the polls

Allie Young, 34, started the Ride to the Polls campaign in 2020 to register new voters in person and online

In Dine, or Navajo, culture, the horse symbolizes strength and resilience, as well as a connection to the earth. Cowboy culture is so relevant to Native communities, that horseback trail rides are used to draw awareness to issues within the community including suicide prevention, and alcohol and drug use, said Allie Young, a 34-year-old Dine grassroots organizer. This fall, Young has harnessed the trail ride to engage Dine voters for the presidential election: her group's voter-registration events will culminate with 100 Indigenous voters riding on horseback to a polling station in Arizona on election day.

When one mounts a horse and is in rhythm with the horse, that reconnection happens," Young, founder of the Indigenous-led civic engagement program Protect the Sacred, told the Guardian. So when we're connected with the horse, we're then reconnected to Mother Earth and reminded of our cultural values and what we're fighting for, what we're protecting."