Mitchell aide’s comments on Native Americans raises eyebrows

By Arren Kimbel-Sannit

Montana Free Press

A legislative aide with aspirations of representing House District 80 in the 2023 Legislature questioned in public remarks last Tuesday whether members of tribes living on reservations in Montana should be able to vote in state elections. 

“If the reservations want to say they are independent countries … but they want a lot of handouts, why are we counting their ballots?” said Drew Zinecker, who will this session serve as a staffer for Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, during a meeting of the Lewis and Clark County Republican Central Committee. 

Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment.

The committee was gathered to advance potential appointees to HD 80, a district including parts of Lewis and Clark and Powell counties that was recently vacated by Rep. Becky Beard, R-Elliston, who herself was appointed this month to represent Senate District 40, a seat made vacant by the retirement of Sen. Terry Gauthier, R-Helena.

Zinecker, one of several candidates who stood for questioning by committee members Tuesday, made the comment to mixed applause during a conversation about election integrity. The committee ultimately voted to send all six candidates — Zinecker, Hailey Oestreicher, Zack Wirth, Valerie Clague, Ken Liston and Nathan Nachtsheim — forward in the process. A committee combined of representatives from both the Lewis and Clark and Powell County GOP central committees will meet next week to advance three of the candidates for consideration by the Lewis and Clark and Powell County commissioners. 

In an interview with Montana Free Press after the committee meeting, Zinecker said his perspective on tribal sovereignty and access to the vote is common among conservatives. 

“It’s a very consensus opinion among conservatives that if the tribes want to continue to assert their sovereignty, that draws into serious question whether they should be allowed to vote or not,” Zinecker said.