Update: As of late Friday, the Division of Elections has made this announcement: PLEASE NOTE: Absentee Voting in-person materials have arrived at all locations.
Registered voters can vote in-person at designated Absentee/Early Voting locations. If your location states ‘date and time to be determined’ your location did not opt to have Absentee-in-person voting available. Please contact the division at 907-270-2700 if your AVO is not open.
Additional Absentee voting options are still available – Saturday, August 10 is the deadline to apply for an absentee by mail ballot for a ballot to be mailed to you. You can also apply for an electronic transmission delivery ballot (online or fax) which can be faxed or mailed back to the division. The deadline to apply for an absentee by electronic transmission is Monday, August 19 at 5pm. Contact the division at 907-270-2700 if you have questions about voting Absentee.
Original story:
Absentee and early voting began Monday in Alaska for the primary election, which ends Aug. 20.
But as of Friday, Aug. 9, the Division of Elections still has a vague notice posted on its website saying that some absentee voting locations have had voting supplies delayed by the U.S. mail and are not yet able to assist voters in casting their ballots.
“For additional options please contact the Absentee & Petition office at 907-270-2700. The Division will update the public once we have more information,” the division says on its website.
Neither the division nor the lieutenant governor has released any helpful information to the public, even five days after voting began.
Candidates and campaigns who have contacted the division can’t get answers about which villages are lacking ballots. That puts the campaigns at a disadvantage if they wanted to do outreach to those communities to alert them to the alternatives for early absentee voting. People who usually hear back from the Division of Elections tell Must Read Alaska they are getting no response.
The problem seems to have impacted communities that typically vote heavily for Democrats.
For example, Akiak (population 451), Aleknagik (pop. 204), and Brevig Mission City (pool 417) are among those communities listed in the “to be determined” category on the division’s website.
Other communities impacted may include Kokhanok, Nikolski, Akutan, Pedro Bay, Atka, Sand Point, St. George, Stony River, Napaskiak, Deering, Kivalina, Shaktoolik, Koyuk, and St. Michael.
The question now becomes: Will Democrats or their lawyer friends sue the Division of Elections and the U.S. Postal Service for not providing ballots on time in these remote corners of the state, where mail is notoriously slow? This would make it especially awkward for the lieutenant governor, who is on the ballot this year as she runs for U.S. House.
In 2012, then-Gov. Mead Treadwell signed an order expanding the sites for absentee voting locations, more than doubling the number of voting centers by 123 new locations. It was a way to calm down Native activists who were suing over language translations of the ballots and who wanted more voting centers in the most rural areas of the state, even though they are not used enough to justify the expense.
Hardly any voters in Native villages use the early voting options, but by mailing ballots out to the villages, many of which are ruled by tribal councils, it introduces another element of possible election fraud, something the State can do little about. One case of felony-level election fraud is now going to court involving officials in Pilot Station, pop. 600, but others in past years have been scant legal attention.
The Aug. 20 primary is the final day when people can vote in Alaska to decide the finalists for the November ballot.
They (division of elections) haven’t finished filling them out yet.
Maybe if Nancy Dahlstrom wasn’t running for office she could be handling her Lite Gov duties ans resolve this issue.
Where’s Nancy ? I sent she responsible of the election process?
Just who we need representing us as she can’t even do a simple task so how she gonna work on a federal level?
Vote for Nick.
nancy dahlstrom is too busy sitting at home campaigning so she can’t do the work required of her for her current job title as lieutenant governor.
anyone wondering what type of congresswoman she will be, here’s your answer, lazy and ineffective.
Nancy – do your job!!! Every time you do one job you turn around and apply for another.
The very reason that Dahlstrom should be discontinued, immediately, as a viable candidate. Afterall, is this not within her purview as Lt. Governor?
Gee…Division of Elections for Alaska? Isn’t that the responsibility of the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska? And she is running for Congress? What about the voter rolls of Alaska? One of dirtiest rolls in America. Surely she did something to clean up the voter rolls? Especially when other states have done it? No? Do we live in a time when we promote people for being a failure at their job?
Election Division is still learning how to spell “Murkowski.”
Nancy Dahlstrom is now teaching them how to spell Dumbstrum.
alaska is becoming the northern cook county
Dahlstrom is typical, known only for the across the board, run of the mill, dysfunctional state management the public puts up. Division of Elections is a pathetic joke. She would be useless in Washington concerning Alaska’s interests. The whole purpose of mailing mass early voting ballots anywhere, not just rural villages, is to enhance opportunities for voting fraud. Voters simply are not reliable to vote in a correct manner. On the other hand, whether we get a Republican or Democrat Congressman, it will not effect the current system of governance which is destroying our national security, economy, education, soundness of the monetary system, environment, or anything meaningful to individual citizens. One set of special interests will profit more from federal spending and regulations for their activities and the other set will profit less. Peltola nor Begich will write legislation or read the thousands of pages bills to vote on. They will simply be rewarded with massive campaign donations (used to be called bribes) by lobbyists if they pass the bills presented to them. Begich is preferable to the extent he might help slow down the decline, or help avoid an impeachment vote on Trump, things of that nature. The other plus for Begich is maintaining the yoke of family dynasty politicians that make believe “independent” Alaskans are most comfortable with. Nothing to become passionate about, ulimately it’s one political party with two faces.
Nancy is spreading lies about Begich instead of doing her job at the division of elections. We don’t need more of that sort of thing in DC.
We received that poll going anround and decided then as a family we were with Begich.
He’s informed, energetic and truthful.
No matter how bad of a job Dahlstrom does in ensuring elections run smoothly, there are some Republicans that will still vote for her because Trump endorsed her. This is why our state is falling into the evil’s hands…we have some conservatives with thinking disabilities!
Once again…WHY is Dahlstrom allowed to run as a candidate in an election that she is overseeing?
Hardworking folks just forgot, didn’t have time to send ballots to places where election outcomes seem all but certain plus the boss, Lieutenant Governor Dahlstrom got too busy to check?
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Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out where the “date and time to be determined” ballots actually went?
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These “date and time to be determined” ballots – not one of which ever answered a pollster’s query – could come in really handy where the winning margin is 2% or so, no?
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Can’t happen here of course, but what if it did?
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Who outside The Dahlstom Club would notice?