Concerns raised over high number of ballots rejected in special primary election

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Anchorage KTUU-TV

Lauren Maxwell - Yesterday 9:30 PM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Alaska’s first all mail-in election is drawing criticism for an abnormally high number of ballots that have been rejected by the Division of Elections. A majority of the rejected ballots are coming from rural Alaska.

Ballots for the special primary election to fill the late Rep. Don Young’s seat had to be postmarked by June 11, but election officials are still counting incoming ballots. Data released Friday, June 17, shows several areas with unusually high rejection rates.

In House District 38 which includes the city of Bethel and communities along the Kuskokwim River, 374 of the 2,174 ballots received were rejected for a rejection rate of rate of 17.2%. House District 39 that includes the city of Nome, the Bering Straits and Yukon River Delta regions had 289 of the 2,013 ballots rejected for a rejection rate of 14.3%

In House District 40 that represents the cities of Utqiagvik and Kotzebue and communities in the Arctic Circle, 199 of the 1,649 ballots received were rejected for a rejection rate of 12.06 %. In Anchorage’s House District 19 that includes the Mountain View neighborhood, 191 of the 2,080 ballots received were rejected, making for a rejection rate of 9.1%

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/concerns-raised-over-high-number-of-ballots-rejected-in-special-primary-election/ar-AAYBjCx?li=BBnb7Kz

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. "rural" areas makes me think indigenous people may be being disenfranchised. . . nt

[ananda]

2. sounds right to me

...

[Cobalt Violet]

3. That's what the article says.

Voter suppression working as planned.

[gab13by13]

4. Not to worry

all we have to do is GOTV and count on Marc Elias or other citizens groups to save our democracy.

Anyone know where Kristen Clarke is?

[KS Toronado]

5. I'm sure Alaskan Democrats will challenge this

Shame it has to be challenged, repugs see no problem with cheating.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

6. Maybe the USPS shipped these ballots to Miami to be sorted.

With DeJoy in charge, nothing would surprise me......

[Lonestarblue]

7. Alaska Republicans must have copied the Texas voting suppression laws.

Similar rejection rates were common in the Texas primaries. Some local election offices sent out mail ballots so late that voters had to instead vote in person. For those who did vote by mail, the instructions for completing the ballots were deliberately confusing. And yes more Democrats vote by mail than Republicans in this state, so this was deliberate. Plus, more Republican voters live in rural areas with fewer voters so election clerks there can call people in to fix their ballots.

Harris County, home of Houston, has a ballot rejection rate of more than 15%. Very few of those would have been Republican voters. Other Democratic counties also had high rejection rates. This is how Republican plan to steal elections.

[LiberalFighter]

8. I have a problem requiring witness to signatue on two counts

Ballot is suppose to be private. And do you want a stranger to witness your signature if you live alone? Maybe you can find someone you know but that would require more time to complete the ballot.

If the signature is on the outside the witness can't be sure what the purpose of their part

[Deminpenn]

9. In Pennsylvania, absentee/mailed ballots require

a signature on the outer envelope that contains the ballot, either from the voter or if the voter is unable to sign, then a witness signature.

[pazzyanne]

10. Same in Minnesota. nt