A six-day horseback journey through the Navajo Nation to register voters

A Diné woman will begin a six-day horseback ride through the Navajo Nation on Sunday, hoping to register Native voters before November's election.

Why it matters: Indigenous citizens who live on rural reservations face extra barriers to register because of spotty broadband access and citizenship documentation requirements, rider and activist Allie Redhorse Young told Axios.

The big picture: Strong Native American turnout is credited as one of the factors that led to President Biden's 2020 win in Arizona.

Driving the news: Young and her father will chart a nearly 50-mile ride Sunday through Friday with stops in Kayenta, Rough Rock, Many Farms, Chinle, Burnside and St. Michaels.

• Young said she hopes to have 20 riders join her on each leg, and to register a few hundred people throughout the journey.

What they're saying: "When we turn out to vote we can make the difference in a lot of these battleground states," Young told us. "It's one way that we rebuild our power."

Context: Native Americans gained U.S. citizenship 100 years ago, but only gained the right to vote in Arizona in 1948.

State of play: She told us she decided to host the first horseback registration ride this year to make sure people are prepared to vote, so they aren't turned away in November.

• "Half of the beast is registration," Young said.

What's next: The other half is making sure people get to the polls, which is why she will also host a "Ride to the Polls" event once voting starts to lead Navajo voters to their closest voting locations.

• She hosted similar rides in 2020 and 2022.
• Young said some of the most remote parts of the Navajo Nation are a half hour or more away from a polling place or ballot drop box.