The Division of Elections said last week it would release information by Tuesday that shows how the voters who ranked Sarah Palin first ranked Nick Begich and Mary Peltola on their ballots, and how the voters for Congresswoman-elect Mary Peltola ranked Begich and Palin.
Tuesday passed with no data released.
Then it was going to be Wednesday. Now, it may be Thursday or Friday before that information is released to the public. Or perhaps not this year — it’s difficult to know.
The special primary election, Alaska’s first experiment with ranked choice voting, took place Aug. 16. The ranking exercise to determine the ultimate winner — Peltola — took place Aug. 31.
Within seconds on Aug. 31, those second-round votes were available for the Begich votes. It was done with a push of a button on the Elections Division computer. Those numbers for the other races are in that same machine.
But now, the Division of Elections can’t seem to do the same for the Peltola and Palin second-round votes, greatly disadvantaging both the Palin campaign and the Begich campaign, who rightfully should be able to determine where their support was from those who chose the other two candidates.
Must Read Alaska will file a public records request for that information on Thursday before the close of business, presuming the Division of Elections does not release that information, which the public has a clear and compelling reason to have and which effects the November election and the decisions being made now by campaigns who are entitled to have all the data from the Aug. 16 elections in a timely way.
