Mail delays postpone the start of pre-Election Day voting in parts of rural Alaska

An early voting position is group up successful nan atrium of nan State Office Building successful Juneau, Alaska connected Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, nan first time of early voting for nan 2024 Alaska superior election. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Early voting opened Monday for Alaska’s Aug. 20 superior election, but ballots headed to galore agrarian Alaska polling locations grounded to get successful clip owed to delays successful nan mail, nan head of nan Alaska Division of Elections said Wednesday.

That’s near immoderate agrarian voters waiting to formed their ballots, and nan hold has caused immoderate Democrats to outcry foul. 

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, nan charismatic successful complaint of nan elections division, is moving arsenic a Republican campaigner successful nan U.S. House race, seeking to conclusion Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola.

Peltola is Alaska Native, and successful her 2022 campaigns for office, she earned a important magnitude of support from nan state’s agrarian Native villages.

Robyn Burke is simply a Democratic campaigner for nan Alaska authorities House and tried to ballot connected Tuesday successful Utqiagvik because she’ll beryllium walking connected nan superior predetermination day.

She went to an early voting site, “and they handed maine an absentee ballot application. Like to petition a mail-in ballot. And I said, ‘Do you not person absentee ballots?’”

As it turned out, they did not — and neither did complete a twelve different agrarian towns.

Burke posted astir nan rumor connected societal media, which drew further comments from voters who had been likewise affected.

Alaska has only a fistful of true early voting sites that are group up for illustration Election Day polling places. In smaller communities, nan authorities distributes blank absentee ballots and allows voters to formed “absentee successful person” votes that are past mailed done nan normal absentee ballot process.

In places wherever message transportation is often slow, it’s often a faster measurement to ballot earlier Election Day.

But this year, immoderate absentee ballot packages were delayed getting to their last destination. In Bethel, ballots didn’t get until Tuesday afternoon. In Utqiagvik and Kotzebue, they arrived Wednesday.

Altogether, 8 communities didn’t person their packages until Monday, 9 sewage them connected Tuesday, and arsenic of Wednesday afternoon, 14 communities were still waiting for their ballots, said Carol Beecher, nan section director.

That fig changed passim nan time arsenic much accusation arrived. 

In immoderate cases, nan delays were owed to bad weather. In others, nan personification designated to prime up nan message from nan airdrome wasn’t answering nan phone. 

Among nan affected towns and villages were Atka, Nikolski and Akutan successful nan Aleutians, Sand Point connected nan Alaska Peninsula, and Shaktoolik and Koyuk connected nan occidental coast.

Burke, who’s antecedently voiced interest astir voting entree successful agrarian Alaska, said she’s concerned by nan delays. 

“A ample portion of Mary Peltola’s voting guidelines is Alaska Native, but we don’t person nan expertise to vote, aliases nan timeline that we person to ballot is shortened. With group being turned away, who knows if they’ll spell back?” she said.

Lindsay Kavanaugh, head of nan Alaska Democratic Party, said she besides saw Burke’s comments and that nan rumor is Dahlstrom’s responsibility.

“If she is incapable to put successful nan activity to guarantee eligible voters are capable to formed a ballot nary matter wherever they reside successful nan state, 1 tin easy reason she will not beryllium an effective advocator successful Congress, particularly not for agrarian Alaskans,” Kavanaugh said.

Dahlstrom’s run declined to remark connected nan issue. Beecher, a Dahlstrom appointee, said by email that thing untoward is happening.

“I tin guarantee you that this had thing to do pinch thing political. The (lieutenant governor) has delegated each predetermination responsibilities and is not progressive successful nan operations of nan division. The delays are owed to mailing issues, and immoderate of nan challenges we brushwood pinch these distant locations,” she said.