Tribal representation in the Washington State Legislature could quadruple this November

Currently, there is just one Native American serving in the Washington state Legislature. Debra Lekanoff, whose Indian name is “Xixch’I See,” is a member of a Tlingit tribe in Southeast Alaska.

She represents District 40, Position 1, which includes the San Juan Islands, and is running against a write-in candidate this fall.

And, after the elections on Nov. 8, Lekanoff might not be the only Native voice in the statehouse.

A handful of Indigenous candidates are running for legislative seats this fall, one in the state Senate and three, including Lekanoff, in the House.

Lekanoff, like all the candidates KUOW interviewed for this story, said her job is to represent her entire district. Nevertheless, she also said having Native lawmakers in the room in Olympia is important, pointing to some of the many bills that she’s championed, including one to create a first-in-the-nation statewide alert system for missing Indigenous people, and another to ban Native American mascots in public schools.

“It's a lonely time. No one clearly understands the angle you are coming from in different areas of policy and lawmaking, and in bringing in a Native American voice,” Lekanoff said. More voices with more perspectives that reflect the diversity of the Native community are also needed, Lekanoff said.