Gail Fenumiai, who heads up Alaska’s Division of Elections will be retiring at the end of this week, giving Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom the opportunity to choose a new director.
Fenumiai, who served as the division director during the Parnell Administration, was brought back in by former Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer to lead the division as it adjusted to the new reality of Ballot Measure 2’s open primaries and ranked-choice voting general elections.
Fenumiai has two recounts to perform before her final day. Those are for the District 15 House race and for Senate Seat E.
In District 15, seven votes separate Rep. Tom McKay from second-place finisher Denny Wells. In Senate Seat E, third-place finisher Roselynn Cacy, a Democrat, asked for a recount after Republican Cathy Giessel won that race. That race has a 31-vote difference.
Fenumiai has been in the role since 2019, when she was appointed by former Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer. She previously served as the state’s elections director between 2008 and 2015, and is a 20-year veteran of administering Alaska’s elections.
