A group of voters in House District 27 has filed a challenge to the recount that was done in the General Election race, where UAA Professor Liz Snyder won over incumbent Rep. Lance Pruitt by 11 votes.
The group also filed a separate lawsuit challenging the decision of the Alaska Supreme Court to order an injunction prohibiting the requirement of a witness signature on absentee ballots for the General Election, due to COVID-19.
In the first case, the group alleges that a voting location in Precinct 915 was suddenly changed from Muldoon Towne Center to Begich Middle School. It was the second change of polling place. There was little notice and many voters were confused about where to vote. This precinct typically has been supportive of Rep. Pruitt over several elections.
The plaintiffs say that state law mandates that the Director of the Division of Elections must publish notices when voting locations are changed, putting the notices in a newspaper of general circulation, and in other places as well, and include the information in the final election pamphlet. That did not happen.
As a result of of the change of voting location, voters were disenfranchised, not given equal protection guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
The other lawsuit, an election integrity complaint, says at least one voter had returned two ballots, one using his first name and one using his middle name. The lack of a requirement for a witness signature is a case of the courts making election law, something that only the Legislature can do.
Following what the plaintiffs are calling an unconstitutional elimination of the witness signature by the courts, the suit says the Division of Elections failed to develop a procedure for review of the signatures to ensure that the person casting the ballot signed the certificate.
The group is hinting it was unconstitutional given the recent Texas lawsuit against four states — Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin — where similar mid-election changes were made. The group has not sought review or injunction for the witness signature requirement.
The group, represented by elections lawyer Stacey Stone, is asking for a new election to be held in the District.
For the State of Alaska, Margaret Paton-Walsh has been assigned to defend the State.
The election integrity case will be of high interest to conservatives in Alaska, and may find its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
