Some Alaskan voters find addresses on voter ID cards not accurate

The Alaska Division of Elections is reporting that some voters are calling and reporting their voter registration addresses listed on identification cards are not accurate.

Samantha Miller, the communications manager for the Division of Elections, says the issue has its origins in a 2016 ballot measure approved by Alaskans that automatically enrolls people to vote when they apply for their Permanent Fund Dividend.

As part of the law, the Division of Elections looks at the addresses listed on PFD applications and if there is a discrepancy with the voter's address, officials then send an opt-out mailer.

Miller said if that mailer wasn't returned in 30 days then the address was automatically updated to the one listed on the PFD application, which could in some instances be wrong.

The result is that voter identification cards would have different addresses than the one voter currently lived in.

"The law is currently in it's first full year of implementation, and this is something new and we're implementing the law as it's written," said Miller.

The Division of Elections did not have an estimate for how many voters have been impacted by having mismatched addresses but Miller confirmed the office in Juneau had received some calls.

For voters with the wrong voter registration information who want to participate in the Aug. 21 primary, Miller explained it's too late to update their addresses as it's less than 30 days from the election, they are instead encouraged to vote a questioned ballot that would then be analyzed by the Regional Review Board.