OPINION: We deserve better election choices

There are 12 people running to serve as Alaska’s sole representative in Congress, a seat currently held by Mary Peltola. Three are nonpartisan, four are Republicans, one is a member of the No Labels Party, two are Democrats, one is undeclared, three are nonpartisan, and one is Alaska Independence Party. Eric G. Hafner is one of those running for that seat as a Democrat. He also happens to be serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for calling in multiple bomb threats against government offices — a county courthouse, police department, two law firms, and businesses. He also threatened officials, including judges, police officers, attorneys and their families. He tried to extort $350,000 from those victims. He ran for Congress in Oregon and Hawaii between 2016 and 2018, a time during which when he lived out of the country.

Why is he allowed to be on the Alaska ballot?

Bob Menendez, the Democratic senator from New Jersey, was found guilty on all counts in his corruption trial that included charges of accepting bribes — including gold bars, a Mercedes and $450,000 in cash to benefit Qatar, Egypt and himself — extortion, acting as a foreign agent, obstruction of justice and many counts of conspiracy. He remains in the Senate until Aug. 20, a date he selected to resign. He has claimed he will run as an independent for the next election.

Why can’t he be forced to resign immediately and be disqualified from running for public office?

Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts on May 30 for his scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through his “hush money” payment to a porn star. He falsely claimed that he was about to be arrested and encouraged his supporters to “take our nation back.” Some obliged and made threats of death and physical harm to judges, lawyers, attorneys general and President Joe Biden. Trump is also charged in what is called a federal election interference case, with four felony conspiracy and obstruction-of-justice counts regarding the effort to claim victory in the election of Biden as president and the subsequent Jan. 6, 2021 effort to subvert a lawful election and the lawful transfer of power. The third batch of charges he is facing is from the Georgia election interference case. He has been charged with 13 felony counts — three were later dismissed — of election interference. Trump has also been charged with 32 felony counts of the Espionage Act in a case related to his illegal retention of classified material after leaving the presidency. The documents he unlawfully kept included those involving nuclear weapons issues and information on U.S. and foreign military activity.

Why is a convicted 34-count felon with an additional 52 felony charges pending against him being allowed to run for president of the United States?

Regardless of the party labels, don’t we deserve better leaders for our country?

Ted Jacobson lives in Anchorage.

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