Lawsuit alleges Division of Elections failed to open rural polling locations

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska Democratic Party and state representatives from rural Alaska filed a lawsuit against the Division of Elections Thursday, claiming it failed to open multiple absentee in-person voting locations.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, DOE Director Carol Beecher and the DOE are the three defendants in the case, according to court documents. Documents also list Midnight Sun Independence Fund, a non-profit voter advocacy group, as the case’s plaintiff. The plaintiffs are seeking an emergency court order requiring the DOE to open each of the absentee in-person voting locations listed on their website.

A statement from the Alaska Democratic Party claims Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed legislation in April that would have increased funding for the DOE for polling access and to address challenges of voting in rural Alaska. They also claim many in rural Alaska have been left wondering if their polling place will ever open, while other Alaskans have been able to vote since Oct. 19, 15 days before election day.

“Year after year, the Division has failed to open polling places in rural Alaska, making it harder to vote here than anywhere else in the state,” said Representative Nellie Unangiq Jimmie in a statement. “If I was home in Toksook currently and not in Bethel, I would not be able to vote early.”

The lawsuit lists 18 rural absentee in-person voting locations as not open and operating for voters. It also claims some local officials running the locations reported not receiving the necessary materials or information to operate the sites, while others said they never received any training on how to operate the locations.

The documents also claim state Sen. Bill Wielechowski and Midnight Sun both sent letters to Beecher concerning the issue. Beecher responded to Wielechowski on Tuesday that, of the 18 locations, 12 told the DOE that their site is open, three said they no longer planned to open an absentee in-person location and three have not responded.

Midnight Sun has not been able to confirm the information in Beecher’s letter, the lawsuit reads. Community members have also apparently reported five additional locations were not operating as of Tuesday.

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