Tuesday, August 16, wasn't just the end of the 2016 primary — it was the filing deadline for independent candidates to submit signatures collected from registered Alaska voters required to be on the ballot.
There are a slew of independent candidates this year, particularly in the race to join the U.S. Senate, a position currently held by Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who won on a write-in bid in 2010, after losing her August primary.
The Alaska Board of Elections certifies each packet of signatures after looking up each name and verifying that it belongs to a registered voter.
The board has certified 11 candidates' submissions, and is still working through the signatures submitted by U.S. Senate candidate Margaret Stock. The Juneau office was expecting six more signature packets that were en route, and there are five candidates with an unknown status. But candidates can mail the signatures in — postmarked by Aug. 16 — and there are still 15 days left for the office to receive them.
At least three candidates will take on the primary winners from the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties in the race to take over Sen. Lisa Murkowski's spot in Washington, D.C.: Breck Craig, Jed Whittaker and Stock, all of Anchorage, have submitted signatures. Craig and Whittaker's candidacies have been certified, and review of Stock's submissions is ongoing.
Bruce Walden of Wasilla dropped out of the U.S. Senate race in July, saying support never materialized. The fate of two more candidacies is unclear — Sidney Hill of Palmer, and Ted and Fran Gianoutos, a couple from Anchorage that regularly runs for office together on a joint ticket.
A local restaurateur has sent in signatures to join the race for the U.S. House seat that Don Young has held for more than four decades. Signatures collected supporting the candidacy of Bernie Souphanavong, owner of Bernies Bungalow Lounge in Anchorage, are submitted but not yet certified. Souphanavong was also approved for a marijuana license earlier this year.
Two independent candidates for state Senate seats will be on the ballot: Vince Beltrami is certified for District N, and signatures are on their way for Tim Hale for District F. No word yet on the fate of District L candidate Tom Johnson.
The state has already certified eight candidates' signatures for state House seats: Jeanne Olson in District 3; Pamela Goode in District 9; Bert Verrall in District 11; Joe Hackenmueller in District 14; Jason Grenn in District 22; Duncan Fields in District 32; and Daniel "Dan" Ortiz and Kenneth Shaw in District 36.
Signatures are on their way to Juneau for certification from three candidates: Karen Perry for District 12; and Daniel Lynch and J.R. Myers in District 30.
The status for candidates Justin Pratt, in House District 6, and Ian Sharrock, in House District 16, was unknown on Tuesday evening.
CORRECTION: This story previously misidentified one Senate candidate. His name is Breck Craig, not Craig Breck. Also, House candidate Jason Grenn's last name was misspelled "Green."