Harris, the first Black woman and first South Asian American woman to become vice president-elect, began her victory speech by quoting the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, who said, “Democracy is not a state, it’s not an act.” “Protecting our democracy takes struggle, takes sacrifice,” she said. “But there’s joy in it.” She continued: “We the people have the power to build a better future. And when our very democracy was on the ballot in this election and the very soul of America was at stake and the world watching, you ushered in a new day for America.”
Partisan campaigners, rude poll workers, and armed police made voting uncomfortable for Indigenous voters. And yet, they helped the Democrats take the state.
