Lawmakers press Alaska elections director on 2024 process, issues

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Facing state Senate and House lawmakers questions Thursday over how the 2024 General Election was handled, Alaska’s Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher said her department is working on solutions to prevent similar situations in the future, including an influx of voters ahead of Election Day.

“The division was not prepared for early voting, and the early voting process takes longer than someone going to the polls,” Beecher explained. “Our space was certainly not adequate to deal with the volumes of people, and we didn’t have the volume of staff.

“I don’t know if it was a phenomenon of if it will happen again with the desire to vote early,” Beecher continued, “but we have certainly added that to our agenda, to discuss what can we do differently.”

After members of the House and Senate State Affairs Committees also expressed concern about what’s been reported as 106% of Alaska’s population being considered registered voters, Beecher responded calling comparing Alaska’s population percentage to registered voters “apples and oranges,” because she said people who do not reside in Alaska are also registered to vote here.

”Both can be true,” she said, saying that intent to return to Alaska is key, and citing overseas voters, such as members of the military.

Newly-minted Sen. Robert Yundt, R-Wasilla, asked Beecher about what’s known as “inactive” voters.

“There was 19,000 and some that were removed for being inactive,” he said of voters’ ballots this past election. “Can you speak to what determines, and makes for, someone being inactive, please?”

Beecher responded, in part, by saying there are many different ways the her staff would view a voter as “active,” including voting or signing a petition.

“Any kind of action contacting the Division (of Elections) makes you ‘active,’” she explained. “If we have no activity from an individual for two general elections, they are sent a notice.”

House State Affairs Committee Vice-Chair Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, asked about what happens when certain mistakes are made early in the voting process, for example, if a voter is struggling to understand or access their ballot.

“I had a constituent who had a visual impairment and came to vote,” Story said, “and at that time, the adaptation that this person needed wasn’t available. What happens when we have, some, I don’t know, mistakes like that?”

When somebody requests a special needs ballot, Beecher said, that is provided. Special needs ballots can also be requested on the DOE website.

Several lawmakers submitted bills as part of prefiled legislation ahead of the start of the session.

Sen. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, has a bill focused on civil liabilities when it comes to electioneering, while Story filed legislation centered on pre-registration for certain minor-aged voters.

For his part, Gov. Mike Dunleavy, R-Alaska, has also submitted bills for consideration, including House Bill 63, which his office said in a prepared statement would make the system as a whole “more efficient and trustworthy.”

HB 63 would, as written, repeal the 2016 ballot measure allowing voter registration through Permanent Fund Dividend applications; authorize voting by mail, specifically for communities that have fewer than 750 people; and allow the DOE to count absentee ballots earlier.

The bill was introduced this week and is currently with the House State Affairs Committee.

Dunleavy is expected in Juneau as early as Friday, ahead of next week’s annual State of the State Address.

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