The ADN recently reported that more than 1,200 absentee ballots were rejected in the primary election, 456 of them because the voter failed to have their ballot properly witnessed. Want to see actual “voter suppression?” You need look no further than the very restrictive Alaska State requirement to have an absentee ballot voter signature “witnessed.”
Despite claims to the contrary, in reality the lieutenant governor or his agent has absolute authority to reject any ballot he or she sees fit to throw out based on a totally subjective decision that the voter had “reasonable access” to an authorized ballot signature witness, as defined in AS 15.20.081 (d) as “…a notary public, commissioned officer of the armed forces including the National Guard, district judge or magistrate, United States postal official, registration official, or other person qualified to administer oaths.”
Recently, the Trump administration has “piled on” with orders to prohibit postal officials from witnessing ballots during work hours. So where, especially in rural locations, can you find any of the other qualified witnesses? Also, how can the state possibly verify that any witness signature is valid?
Couple this witness requirement with the draconian warnings associated with fraudulent voting and you can see why some might attempt to vote by absentee ballot then simply give up. I wonder how many incumbents who recently lost an election are pondering if any of those 1,200 rejected votes might have made a difference for them?
Lynn Willis
Eagle River
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