Native voter forum canceled after only one Oklahoma candidate confirms attendance

(TULSA, Okla.) A forum for Native voters featuring gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial candidates scheduled for Saturday, October 24, has been cancelled.

The forum, which was set to take place at Osage Casino Tulsa, was organized by Kinship Model, a nonprofit organization based on the Osage Reservation. It was publicized as an opportunity for candidates to answer questions from Native voters.

More than 80 people responded to the event online.

Kinship Model said the cancellation happened because Kelly Forbes, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, was the only candidate who committed to being at the event.

In a statement on Facebook, Kinship Model said, “Due to only having one candidate confirm attendance and being a non profit that is not allowed to seemingly endorse any one political party, we are unfortunately having to cancel this event.”

It is an outcome that aligns with concerns many Native community members have expressed to Crosswinds News over the past year and a half of community listening about campaigns and elections.

In 2025, Crosswinds conducted a Listening and Learning survey that explored the barriers Native Americans face with becoming civically involved. Seventy-three Oklahomans who took the survey identified as Native American.

Of those respondents, only 4% said political candidates do a good job of reaching Indigenous voters, while 62% answered that they do not do a good job reaching Indigenous voters.

Candidates respond to cancellation

Crosswinds reached out to each of the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor and lieutenant governor about the cancellation of the event.

Forbes told Crosswinds in a statement:

“Honestly, I was shocked. Especially when a group of people dedicated their time in making a forum happen centered around such an important topic. Oklahomans across this state feel left behind by leaders that have shown an inability or unwillingness to show up and listen. Now, I can’t speak to any other candidate’s schedule conflicts; however, Oklahomans can see who is showing up everywhere, and meeting with everyone regardless of political affiliation. The reality is moving our state forward is going to take all of us, together. I believe candidates ignore voters at their own risk, and I think we’ll see those consequences on November 3rd.”

Cyndi Munson, the current minority leader in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Democratic candidate for governor, said scheduling conflicts were the reason she could not commit to the forum and provided the following statement to Crosswinds:

“Leader Munson has consistently prioritized meeting with Oklahoma’s tribal nations - with both tribal leaders and members, and expresses her apologies for the schedule conflict. Her inability to attend is not a reflection of her opinion of the forum’s significance or importance, and Leader Munson has deep respect for the organizers as well as the attendees.”

Crosswinds also reached out to Mike Mazzei, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, and T.W. Shannon, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. Neither Mazzei nor Shannon responded to Crosswinds' request for comment.

Crosswinds research shows importance of elections to Native respondents

As part of the 2025 Listening and Learning Survey, Crosswinds also asked people about barriers to civic engagement. Not one respondent selected “not interested in being more involved” as a barrier to participating.

The most common barriers reported were lack of time, limited access to information, scheduling conflicts and distrust of government institutions. More than half (53%) of survey respondents said they didn’t have enough information about opportunities or events. Over a third (36%) cited a lack of trust in government or institutions.

Historical injustice was another concern, with 61% of respondents who answered the question saying historical events or injustices affect their community involvement today.

One respondent described how their family's distrust of government influences their views on political participation today:

“I feel caught in the middle. My family had a strong distrust in the government but I have enough education to know getting involved and voting is the right thing to do for my community.”

Despite a majority of respondents stating that political candidates do not do a good job of reaching out to Indigenous voters, 75% of respondents said state elections are important, 77% said tribal elections are important and 70% said federal elections are important.

Oklahoma's general election is Tuesday, November 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Early voting begins Wednesday, October 28, and continues through Saturday, October 31. Early voting hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

You can find out if you are registered to vote using the OK Voter Portal. 

Additional voter information is available here.

More findings about Native American community involvement from the 2025 Listening and Learning Survey can be found in the Crosswinds News Beyond the Ballot report, available now on the Crosswinds website.