An early method of denying NAs the right to vote focused on their level of civilisation, and that NAs living on reservations amid their NA culture couldn’t be civilised enough to vote.
A Minnesotan case used this method:
- In Opsahl v. Johnson a white man argued that reservation Indians had voted for a measure legalising the sale of liquor in one county, when as reservation citizens, they had no right to vote.
- The Minnesota Constitution stated that Indians and mixed bloods had to adopt the customs, habits, and language of civilisation in order to vote.
- And it was not clear to the court that the full bloods had met these conditions, therefore their votes were denied.
The case also noted:
That since Indians living on reservations were not subject to state taxes, they did not have the right to vote in state elections.
Since NAs living on reservations were not subject to state laws, they could not participate in the making of those laws.
Further the judge pointed out, that Indians were wards of the government and as wards they were not competent enough to vote in any elections.