Some rural votes were again left uncounted in Alaska’s statewide election

Ballots from six rural Alaska villages weren’t absolutely counted in Alaska’s November elections, the Division of Elections mentioned Friday. A division official mentioned the U.S. Postal Service did not ship them to the state election headquarters earlier than the election was licensed on Nov. 30.

“You’ll must contact the USPS to seek out out why there have been some that by no means arrived — as we have been instructed from ballot employees, all the pieces had been mailed,” mentioned Tiffany Montemayor, the division’s public relations supervisor, by e-mail.

Consequently, 259 voters in St. George, Levelock, Ambler, Kiana, Kobuk and Noorvik had their ballots solely partially counted, the division mentioned.

“The Postal Service is conscious of six canvas luggage that arrived after the November thirtieth closing deadline. We remorse the problems attributable to this incident and are reviewing the method with the Alaska Division of Elections to keep away from any recurrence in future elections,” mentioned James Boxrud, communications supervisor for the Postal Service’s WestPac Space.

Although the failed supply didn’t change any election outcomes, it provides to a file of rural-voting issues this yr.

After the August particular election for U.S. Home, seven villages’ ballots failed to achieve elections officers in time to be counted.

Additionally in August, two polling locations did not open as deliberate. In November, two different rural polling locations opened late on Election Day.

As well as, a disproportionately giant variety of ballots from rural Alaska have been rejected within the June by-mail particular main to fill the U.S. Home seat left vacant by the dying of Congressman Don Younger.

“It’s not an superior development,” mentioned Michelle Sparck of Get Out The Native Vote, a gaggle that encourages voter participation in Alaska’s rural, predominantly Native, communities.

The issues attributable to November’s lacking ballots have been exacerbated by the state’s implementation of the brand new ranked alternative voting system.

At 131 of Alaska’s 401 voting precincts, ballots are counted by hand, with outcomes telephoned to elections officers, who add them to the outcomes and publish a preliminary report.

Alaska’s new ranked alternative voting system makes use of a computerized sorting course of to find out closing winners in shut races, which implies every poll have to be scanned to get a closing end result.

In Maine, ranked alternative ballots are trucked to the state capital for processing. Right here, that isn’t attainable, so elections officers organized for them to be mailed to Juneau.

Alaskans for Higher Elections is the nonpartisan nonprofit backing ranked alternative voting in Alaska. Amanda Moser, chief technique officer for the group, mentioned the failure of all ballots to reach on time is “unlucky” as a result of “these voters didn’t have the chance to have their most voice included.”

“Transferring ahead, actually working with the Division of Elections and different statewide companions which are on this area, we have to discover the very best path as a way to ensure that all Alaskans have the chance to have their full voice expressed within the election,” she mentioned.

After the partial failure in August, elections officers paid to have the finished poll packages despatched by USPS Specific Mail.

As of Monday morning, the packages from the six villages nonetheless had not arrived in Juneau.

Requested whether or not elections officers have a brand new plan, Montemayor mentioned that as of Friday, they didn’t however will have a look at different choices within the upcoming yr.

Final yr, the administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed a invoice that will permit the Division of Elections to mandate by-mail voting in small communities the place hiring ballot employees is troublesome. That invoice didn’t go the Legislature.

Sparck mentioned any answer that includes the U.S. Mail in rural Alaska must be reconsidered.

“We don’t do nicely by mail,” she mentioned of rural Alaska voting, “whether or not it’s climate or postal service staffing points or English as a second language disadvantages.”

“I can’t say that’s a greater different,” she mentioned.

This text initially appeared within the Alaska Beacon and is republished right here with permission.