Political Trust and Native American Electoral Participation: An Analysis of Survey Data from Nevada and South Dakota Jean Schroedel, Claremont Graduate University Aaron Berg, Claremont Graduate University Joseph Dietrich , Claremont Graduate University Javier M. Rodriguez, Claremont Graduate University Objective. This research analyzes the impact of political trust on Native American electoral partic- ipation, using survey responses from roughly 1,500 Native Americans living in South Dakota and Nevada. Method. The in-person survey taking was conducted at locations in Native communities and with the support of tribal leaders, allowing us to overcome many of the methodological issues that have hampered previous studies. Results. We found much higher levels of electoral participa- tion in tribal elections than in non-tribal elections. Respondents expressed high levels of distrust in nontribal government and voting methods, and this distrust has a surprisingly powerful impact on the decision to participate in nontribal elections. Conclusion. We suggest that historical trauma and ongoing discrimination are the primary causes of distrust among Native Americans and find support for this in the observed differences in levels of trust between South Dakota and Nevada. Over the past couple decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the quality and quantity of academic research on political participation among racial and ethnic minori- ties in the United States, but only recently have scholars begun to consider unique factors that impact Native American political engagement. Research (Huyser, Sanchez, and Var- gas, 2017; Peterson, 1997) shows that Native Americans’ registration and voting rates are lower than other populations, but the turnout gap appears to be declining (Skopek and Garner, 2014). Also, the electoral context matters, with turnout higher in elections that have greater local impact (Huyser, Sanchez, and Vargas, 2017; Native American Voting Rights Coalition, 2018). Finally, Wilkins and Stark (2011) forcefully argue that partic- ipation among American Indian/Alaska Native populations is affected by their unique civic status as members of indigenous nations as opposed to being racial minorities. As such, much of their political engagement is directed at protecting treaty and trust rights. A similar point is made by Herrick and Mendez (2019), who suggest that Native group consciousness is “unique” due to “political issues, such as tribal sovereignty.” Differences in group consciousness also are rooted in the historical trauma experi- enced by Native Americans. Indigenous peoples in the United States experienced nearly 400 years of warfare aimed at seizing control of their ancestral lands and resources, as well as attempts to exterminate them and their cultures (Dunbar-Ortiz, 2014; Treuer, 2016). Given that the last military encounter between the U.S. government and Native Direct correspondence to Joseph Dietrich, Department of Politics & Government, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA 〈joseph.dietrich@cgu.edu〉. Do not cite without permission. SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY C  2020 by the Southwestern Social Science Association DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12840