‘Yellowstone’ cast members to saddle up for special Ride to the Polls event

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN

Two “Yellowstone” cast members are teaming up with other celebrities for a good cause on horseback.

Piper Perabo and Mo Brings Plenty will join Loren Anthony (“Dexter: New Blood”), Ryan Begay (“Breaking Bad”) and Nicole Kang (“Batwoman”) will saddle up to increase voter awareness as part of a Ride to the Polls effort led by the organizations Harness and Protect the Sacred.

The Solidarity Trail Ride will take place October 15 in Monument Valley, Arizona.

“It is critical in our country that we shift the national narrative to center the rights and voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities,” America Ferrera, who with Ryan Piers Williams and Wilmer Valderrama founded Harness, told CNN in an email interview. “We all need to do what we can to increase turnout of these voters, especially those who live in rural and disenfranchised communities. With many systems of our democracy under attack, Harness is committed to help protect the right to vote for all Americans and do so using the strengths we know we have through storytelling and culturally competent on-the-ground organizing.”

The event is an expansion of an effort started by Allie Young, the organizer of Ride to the Polls and founder of Protect the Sacred.

Two years ago, Young rallied with leaders in the Navajo Nation for a 20-mile horseback ride to lead Diné voters polling locations, an ode to their ancestors who rode for hours to cast their votes.

“I launched Ride to the Polls in 2020, hoping to reach young people in my community who weren’t motivated to vote for good reason,” she told CNN. “I don’t think it’s just the Native community that feels this way. I think BIPOC communities, disenfranchised communities, across the country feel like they’re not sure what to trust anymore. I think there’s a lot of people who are feeling really fatigued by general get out the vote type of messaging.”

The feedback she got in 2020, Young said, reflected a sentiment of general disappointment in “a system that was not designed for us.”

“And I (was) like, ‘I’m there with you.’ But when we participate, our vote is powerful,” she said.

Young and Harness’s drive to do more Ride to the Polls events was done with that in mind.

“When our ancestors — whether it’s in the Indigenous community, the Black community, the Latinx community — we’ve all come from these histories where our ancestors had to fight for our existence today,” Young said. “That’s the message I want to spread as we expand — our power and our resiliency. When we come together as communities and we stand up how powerful we actually are.”

Another event leading up to midterm elections will take place in San Antonio and be called Quince to the Polls. On October 29, young girls celebrating their Quinceañeras will use the celebration as a chance to encourage their families and communities to participate in early voting and on voting day. A Skate to the Polls event was held back in August.

Saturday’s event in Arizona will culminate at the Kayenta Rodeo Grounds, where there will be a panel discussion on voting as well as information about polling locations, food and music.

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