Thanks, Ballot Measure 2. The crazy voting system designed by liberal lawyers Scott Kendall and Jahna Lindemuth has created a nightmare for Alaska voters already, and it has yet to be implemented.
Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer tried to sort out the confusion that has arisen over how voters will elect a temporary replacement for Congressman Don Young. In short, he announced today, there will be four statewide elections this year, but two of them will be held simultaneously on Aug. 16.
The special election to replace Young has such a challenging logistical calendar this year with Ballot Measure 2 requirements, the best way to conduct the primary portion of that special election will be by mail, said Gail Fenumiai, the director of the Division of Elections.
Fenumiai said that over 2,000 workers would be needed to be hired by June to conduct the special election primary in a traditional way, and the division cannot possibly hire and train workers in time to make the timeline. There is a national shortage of workers, to begin with, and election workers need special training.
The special election primary done by mail requires a signature witness, Meyer said, unlike the election in 2020, when the Supreme Court said no witness signature would be needed due to Covid.
The current timeline for the special election to pick the temporary congressional representative for Alaska is:
April 1: Deadline for anyone who wishes to file for the seat. It costs $100 and the applicant must register with the Division of Elections, and the Federal Election Commission.
June 11: Primary special election for replacing Congressman Don Young temporarily. There will be in-person early voting at regional voting offices starting 15 days prior to June 11. But most voters will probably be mailing in their ballots to the Division of Elections.
June 25: Primary special election certified.
Aug. 16: General special election for the temporary replacement for Young will be included on the same ballot as the regular primary election.
Due to Ballot Measure 2, the temporary general question added to that regular primary ballot will be a Ranked Choice Voting method, while the other part of the primary — the regular primary for the congressional seat (and other seats), will be “pick one” style of voting.
The dates were the Division of Elections’ recommendation for how staffing, paper shortages, and other hurdles could be overcome in a timely enough way to certify the special election primary in time to get the four finalists onto the ballot on Aug. 16.
The governor will issue a proclamation by Friday as to the dates of the election, but all the details for how the election will be managed are up to the lieutenant governor, who is in charge of elections and does not report to the governor.
