Lt. Gov. Dahlstrom approves recount of ballot measure on ranked-choice voting

40
Photo credit: Alaska Division of Elections

 One day after the Alaska Republican Party announced its intent to request a recount of Ballot Measure 2, after the election is certified on Nov. 30, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced she intends to hold that recount.

Ballot Measure 2 was a grassroots effort to get rid of ranked-choice voting. But opponents brought in $15 million in Outside dark money to fight the repeal, and succeeded by 664 votes. The grassroots group had only about $100,000, all from citizens of Alaska who wanted to stop the Outside billionaires from controlling Alaska’s elections.

“Alaska law ensures the integrity of our elections, and with results as close as these, a recount will be conducted as outlined by statute,” Dahlstom said.

According to Alaska Statute 15.20.450, if the margin of defeat for a ballot measure is less than 0.5% of the total votes cast or within 20 votes, the State of Alaska will bear the cost of the recount. Ballot Measure 2 failed by a margin of 0.4% triggering, upon request, a state-funded recount.

The Division of Elections has already begun preparations, said Dahlstrom, who oversees the division.

We are actively gathering the necessary resources to conduct a thorough and efficient recount. Our team is committed to meeting the 10-day recount completion deadline following the scheduled certification of the election by the State Review Board on November 30,” Division Director Carol Beecher said.

Additionally, under Alaska Statute 15.20.480, properly cast absentee and overseas ballots that are received after the respective 10- and 15-day deadlines but before the completion of the recount will be included in the recount. The Division of Elections will ensure compliance with all relevant statutes, according to the press release from Dahlstrom.

Upon certification of the election results, the recount will begin immediately following receipt of the formal request. Further details regarding the formal recount request and process will be provided after the election is certified, she said.

On Sunday, the Alaska Republicans said they’d bring in national Republican lawyer Harmeet Dhillon to help guard the integrity of the process.

40 COMMENTS

    • Because we are a nation of laws. We, as a people, believe in the rule of law Alaska Statute 15.20.480. Here is what the applicable law says:
      “In conducting the recount, the director shall review all ballots, whether the ballots were counted at the precinct or by computer or by the district absentee counting board or the questioned ballot counting board, to determine which ballots, or part of ballots, were properly marked and which ballots are to be counted in the recount, and shall check the accuracy of the original count, the precinct certificate, and the review. The director shall count absentee ballots received before the completion of the recount. For administrative purposes, the director may join and include two or more applications in a single review and count of votes. The rules in AS 15.15.360 governing the counting of ballots shall be followed in the recount when a ballot is challenged on the basis of a question regarding the voter’s intent to vote for the candidate, proposition, or question. The ballots and other election material must remain in the custody of the director during the recount, and the highest degree of care shall be exercised to protect the ballots against alteration or mutilation. The recount shall be completed within 10 days. The director may employ additional personnel necessary to assist in the recount.”

      The specific part of the law that is of concern says “The director shall count absentee ballots received before the completion of the recount.” Shall is a loaded word when it comes to he law, it means must, it is imperative and must be done, it’s not a question of want or should…it SHALL be done.

      Some people know what the law says, some people don’t know what the law say. We’d be better off if more people know what the law says.

      Sure seems like a part of election law that needs revised to me.

      • Ok, Steve-O, why was a law enacted that effectively allows overseas and absentee ballots to be counted AFTER the deadline for such ballots? Please explain the logic behind this.

        • Fishing,
          I think you can figure that out for yourself. But if you are more concerned with why a law was enacted years and years ago and not actually correcting our election laws then keep asking questions that don’t address the issue in any meaningful way.

          • I never knew that such a law existed until I read this article. Of course, it makes sense, though. It is just another establishment mechanism in place to ensure that the outcome of elections is gamed to produce a desired result. Why? I’m sure you know the answer! Keep asking questions & eventually the truth will be exposed.

      • Get off your horse, the law doesn’t make it logical to count votes that arrive 40 days after an election. If you accept this premise, you are part of the problem.

        • Clayton,
          The only people who are part of the problem are those who suggest we simply ignore the law instead of addressing the issue. If the law is on the books, and it is, then it needs followed. If you want to correct our election laws, then stop telling people that are working to correct them that they are part of the problem when you clearly do not even know what the problem is.

          • Absolutely correct there Steve-O.
            .
            I am guessing here, but, Clayton likely thinks the election officials in PA that are ignoring the law and trying to count illegally cast ballots are doing the wrong thing. Because they are ignoring the law, and ignoring the ruling from the PA Supreme Court. (And it makes zero sense to count illegally cast ballots.)
            .
            But, when it comes to AK, well the law requiring the counting of ballots received after the deadline as part of the recount, is somehow OK. (It IS a very stupid law if you ask me.) You cannot have it both ways. One person MUST obey the law, the other person can ignore it. Nope. Not the way it works.

      • In 1960’s with a fraction of electoral workers , election results were known before midnight on Election Day . This is basically Nancy D’s Job over see the elections l she has failed miserably in her position . Too bad she can’t be fired . This is terrible

  1. Agree with FFF. There was a cut off date established. No cheats!! count the votes that were counted, no adding after the fact votes. One can pray the oversight attorneys hired by the “Pubs” will have the ability to counter any such anticipated move.
    Cheers.

  2. Everyone, call on Governor Dunleavy to cancel RCV now by invoking Art. 3, Sec. 16, because it violates both constitutional and statutory law.

  3. Nothing will come of a recount. Without an audit, especially the absentees, you are just counting good ballots with bad ballots without discerning the difference .

  4. It’s refreshing to know the Lt. Governor had repurposed her day from ‘maintaining’ the State Seal to participate in some election activities.

    Hopefully, Counselor Dhillon will go beyond just comparing the paper ballots count with the machine count. Perhaps she ask our Lt. Governor how valid the voter rolls are and what efforts have been made to clean them up? Or, why were the villages voter results so late in being received during this election? Or, ask: “Lt. Governor, that investigation the Governor had asked then Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka to conduct on the Division of Election, is there a copy of that available to review? Oh? there is only a totally redacted copy available? Why is that?” Or Counselor Dhillon should also ask why the original ballot measure that ushered in the RCV era (just as Lisa was running for reelection, by the way!) contained two separate issues (RCV and the elimination of ‘Dark Money’) which is in violation of the State Constitution? Finally, perhaps she should ask the Lt. Governor what HER plan has been to make Alaskans believe their elections are on the up and up? Questions, questions.

  5. I made an observation of vote tallies of the last two days of counting ballots that seem questionable to me.

    On 11/19, vote tallies reported were 157,839 NO votes and 157,794 YES votes, a difference of 45 votes, with 5,800 remaining ballots reported to be counted on the final day 11/20.

    On 11/20, vote tallies reported were 160,619 NO votes (an increase of 2,780 votes) and 159,955 YES votes (an increase of 2,161 votes) increasing the difference to 664 votes.

    If the 11/20 summary of increases to both NO and YES vote tallies equal 4,941 votes (2,780+2,161) and it was reported that 5,800 votes remained to be counted, What happened to the other 859 ballots (14.8% of ballots to be counted)? The Rank is getting more Rank all the time!! Please comment if you have any logical explanation

  6. LT. Govenor Nancy Dahlstrom should do the right thing and resign from her office. Nancy knows within her own head she is incapable of doing the job.
    Nancy is and always has been a follower at best, even back to her days with GCI. She created nothing of value then and has maintained that posture up to today.
    So, Nancy please clean out your desk and hit the road.

  7. Recount is useless unless the envelopes that contained the question, absentee, and other mail in ballots are audited against the voter roles and verified with the actual voters.

    Nancy is not motivated or smart enough to recommend and do a proper audit. Dunleavy is just saying “whatever” at this point. After all he recommended the most lackluster candidate for congress imaginable. “We will win” on lame ads – just ridiculous. We’ll need to take another stab at election reform in 2 years and this time do it right, with a new governor candidate. Any ideas on who?

  8. “…The director shall count absentee ballots received before the completion of the recount.”??!?!? EXCUSE me say WHAT??? So this is how they inject MORE ballots to tip the scales even further. Who decided that was a good idea in the Alaska Statutes??? ANYTHING received after the date for absentee ballots (postmarked November 5th) should NOT be counted in the total recount. PERIOD.

  9. If it isn’t a hand recount with every ballot being checked for date stamps and signature verification, it is a waste of time. I do not trust Dahlstrom the RINO. Keep them in line Harmeet.

  10. If the measure had been written more simply, we’d have removed RCV. The next attempt at removal of RCV will indeed have clearer verbiage. I recommend that Phil Izon consult with different writers next time. I understood it as it was, but had many folks ask me whether a yes or no vote would remove it. If the proposition is worded like the following, we will succeed next time.
    A YES vote for this measure removes RCV……or – To end RCV vote YES on this measure……….Period…….!

  11. How can the recount help build confidence in the process once the envelopes have been separated from the absentee ballots? There is no way to check the validity of the vote.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.