Mikaela Emswiler: The ballot bandits from out of state are undermining Alaska’s elections

By MIKAELA EMSWILER

In a dramatic turn of events, the Alaska Democrat Party is now expressing disdain over the ranked-choice voting system with the same fervor that Republicans have shown for years. This change in attitude is fueled by the shocking inclusion of an out-of-state felon on the House ballot –a development that has ignited significant backlash within the Democrat party.

Eric Hafner, a Democrat currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in New York for threatening public officials in New Jersey, has never lived in Alaska and has no ties to the state. Yet, astonishingly, he has advanced to the “final four” candidates on the November ballot due to the dropout of two competitors ahead of him.

How did an incarcerated felon with no Alaskan residency even make it onto our ballot? This fact highlights one of the glaring flaws in our damaged election system.

Hafner’s unexpected place on the November ballot has ignited a strong response from the Democratic Party, who recently sued the Division of Elections in an unsuccessful attempt to remove Hafner. Hafner’s inclusion threatens to split the vote, echoing the 2022 Palin-Begich dynamic.

But Hafner’s place on the ballot isn’t the first instance we’ve seen of outsiders attempting to influence our elections. In 2022, Shoshana Gungurstein, an actress from California, launched a campaign in Alaska for U.S. Senate.

Gungurstein registered to vote in Alaska in April of 2022, then subsequently filed her candidacy. Gungurstein’s late registration disqualified her from running in any state-level races, but the US Constitution, being looser with its election laws, allowed her to run for US Senate. Her campaign was also primarily funded by out-of-state sources.

Between the rising occurrences of outsiders attempting to weasel their ways into our elections, suspicion about Dominion voting machines, and the influx of dark money from outside sources, have led both Democrats and Republicans to question the integrity of our election system. It’s clear that our democratic process is under threat.

Alaska’s Supreme Court has already addressed the unconstitutionality RCV, but the fight isn’t over. Support our efforts by visiting www.yeson2ak.com and voting YES ON 2 this November to ditch RCV as our electoral method.

Michaela Emswiler is with Yes on 2, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all Alaskans by providing education and advocacy concerning policy issues impacting Alaska and the nation, including education and research about how Alaskan elections operate.