Mark Ruffalo and Wilmer Valderrama walk with Navajo Nation community to ballot box

Allie Redhorse Young stood in the back of a truck in the Navajo Nation community of Fort Defiance and introduced actors Mark Ruffalo and Wilmer Valderrama to community members before they all ventured off on a three-mile walk to the nearest polling box to mail off their early voting ballots.

Young, the founder of Protect the Sacred, has continued her efforts to encourage Navajo voters to turn out at the polls. Since 2020, she has been engaging with the Navajo community in creative ways, turning voting into a shared experience. One such initiative is her “Ride to the Polls” campaign that she did during the 2020 and 2022 elections, where she rode her horse, Lady Knight, to the voting booth, accompanied by her father and other horseback riders. Last month, she focused on energizing young Navajo voters by organizing events like skateboarding, trail rides, and a rodeo — activities that resonate with the local community.

This past weekend, she chose to mail off her early voting ballot alongside fellow early voters, joined by Ruffalo and Valderrama. Before the walk started, Young, a registered voter in Apache County, raised her ballot and reminded the crowd that only those registered in Apache County can drop their ballots off at the designated ballot box. She encouraged other early voters, who aren’t registered in the county, to mail their ballots at the post office in Window Rock.

"It's about representing our community and showing up and showing our strength and power," said Young. "We are powerful in numbers and we've shown that at the ballot box. In this walk, we are encouraging early voting. The sooner we cast this ballot, the sooner we make our voices heard."

After Ruffalo was introduced, a young fan shouted, “Look, it’s Bruce Banner!” – a nod to his character and its alter ego, the Hulk, in several Marvel movies. Later that evening at the Navajo Nation Museum, Ruffalo spent several hours taking photos with fans and signing Hulk toys and memorabilia.

"This is an honor to be here with you guys," said Ruffalo to the crowd. "And be showing our power in this very special way, and showing we are here. We'll walk. We'll march together. We'll talk, show the love to each other."

Valderrama also spoke before the crowd began their walk, where he gave his warm regards and said, "My Latino community is no stranger to us being left on the side. Our community stands as we relate in so many ways. So many of our people are Native as well."

In 2018, Young met Ruffalo and worked alongside him in another voting campaign in a different Native community, and their partnership has continued since.

"I was involved with Get Out the Native Vote work in North Dakota," said Young. "North Dakota was facing voter suppression. Their Voter I.D.'s and driver licenses were being challenged because of the address, many had P.O. Box addresses like here on the Navajo Nation. So, I traveled with Mark to North Dakota, and we did a stand-in vote tour and visited with different Native communities there."

She mentioned that his presence there had brought out the community, allowing the group to assist with fixing community members' identification cards while interacting with the actor. From then on, Young and Ruffalo stayed in touch, and during the height of COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation, Young was able to involve the actor in discussions about protecting Navajo elders during the pandemic.

"I started Protect the Sacred at that time...it was a call out to our young people during COVID because I was devastated when hearing those numbers of the death toll and rising in cases every day," said Young. "I was upset and thinking of my own grandparents and wanting to keep them safe. In that moment, we were protecting; that was my message to our community: let's protect the sacred. And at the heart of that sacred is our elders."

Native vote

In 2020, Young recalled hearing CNN's John King predict that Arizona would remain a red state, but to many people's surprise, that election year saw Arizona flip to a Democratic state by fewer than 11,000 votes. Many believe the strong turnout of Native voters played a key role in this shift, but it was this pivotal moment that inspired Young to focus on getting Navajo voters to the polls. During this election, it was reported that President Joe Biden received nearly 60,000 ballots from voters on the Hopi and Navajo reservations in northeastern Arizona.

"(John King) said I predict Arizona will stay red this election because Arizona has Republican DNA," Young said. "I was offended by that statement. It's not about any party. Arizona doesn't have Republican DNA or Democratic DNA. Arizona has Indigenous DNA. This country has Indigenous DNA, and let's be proud of that."

This year marks 100 years since Native Americans were legally named U.S. citizens in 1924, after President Calvin Coolidge signed the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act, also known as the Snyder Act. But it would be another 40 years of struggle before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 strengthened tribal members' voting rights. The law bars election policies that deny or restrict voting because of race or membership in a minority language group.

Although not yet old enough to vote, Amenya Yazzie and Trevor Yazzie joined their Fort Defiance community, walking alongside Young and Ruffalo. Both students at Window Rock High School, the young men said they came to see Ruffalo but are also aware of the importance of voting.

"Voting holds a lot of power," said Trevor Yazzie. "I'm worried about the plan Trump has for Native Americans. We are going to make Arizona blue."

Amenya Yazzie shared that, in his view, the country seems to be "depleting," which worries him, as he’s concerned about the future his younger siblings will inherit.

"I'm worried we could go to war," said Amenya Yazzie.

Sherryl Begay came to the Navajo Nation Museum after the walk, hoping to see Ruffalo, with her 8-year-old son dressed in a Hulk costume. As Young had mentioned, Ruffalo’s presence really did bring out the community. While Begay, Amenya Yazzie, and Trevor Yazzie were there to meet Ruffalo, they expressed the importance of voting and shared their concerns about key issues affecting the community.

"I think it's good for the community, especially students and kids. I feel (Ruffalo's) presence really motivates them to vote," said Begay. "I think voting is important. I worked at the chapter house and I never realized how important it was to vote and how people who don't take advantage of it are the ones who complain the most. That opened my eyes."

Kyle Jim, an Independent voter from Shiprock, emphasized the importance of voting. He acknowledged the increasing number of people trying to discourage others from voting but stressed that, in the end, voting truly matters. He commended Ruffalo for coming out to the Navajo Nation to use his celebrity for a cause such as encouraging Native voters to get out and vote.

"Even if there is hidden powers that may be, if we can come together for a single vote those are baby steps toward something greater," said Jim. "If you do your research, it's not only red or blue. There is the Independent party, Green Party, there are other candidates out there that will probably align to your way of thinking."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mark Ruffalo, Wilmer Valderrama walk with Navajo Nation to ballot box