“We want to reassure voters who ended up voting questioned ballots because of the shortage that their vote counts,” officials wrote. “Voters who were properly registered at least 30 days before the election and qualified to vote will have their vote counted in accordance with the law. However, voters who registered to vote yesterday will likely not have their votes counted. We are currently aware of only 121 voters who registered yesterday.”
Gruenstein’s office also said that it would not be able to respond to requests for information "on an ongoing basis," and instead would send out press releases as information became available.
Connie Sumida, an election precinct leader at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Mountain View, told Channel 2 she was informed by a supervisor that some polling places closed before the official 8 p.m. closure of polls. She said election workers at St. Anthony’s were forced to make copies of the front cover of their last ballot -- a two-sided document -- and make do.
In an interview, Sumida said it was an “atrocity” for polling places to run out of ballots, and that Tuesday’s election should be “thrown out.”
According to Gruenstein’s office, the ballot review process will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and be open to public observation. Anyone present at a public canvassing event on Wednesday, April 11, where the city’s Election Commission will determine whether certain questioned and absentee ballots will be rejected or counted, may challenge vote qualifications or the propriety of a cast ballot.
Channel 2 viewers and Facebook users reported ballot shortages Tuesday at numerous polling places across town:
Abbott Loop Elementary School
Alpenglow Elementary School
Bayshore Elementary School
Creekside Elementary School
Huffman Elementary School
Klatt Elementary School
Lake Hood Elementary School
Muldoon Elementary School
Sand Lake Elementary School
Scenic Park Elementary School
Spring Hill Elementary School
Taku Elementary School
Hanshew Middle School
Chugiak High School
Dimond High School
East High School
Service High School
Grace Christian School
Eagle River Library
Loussac Library
Anchorage School District Headquarters
Municipal Public Works Building
Huffman Fire Station
UAA Building (4500 Diplomacy Dr.)
Chester Valley Church
Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
Russian Orthodox Church
Wayland Baptist University
Anchorage YMCA
The Alaska Club South
Eagle River Lions Club
The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska is considering whether to act in regard to the elections, and has set up a hotline at 907-263-2015 for voters to report issues they encountered Tuesday.
Editor's note: A redundant listing for the Municipal Public Works Building has been removed from the list of polling places with reported ballot shortages.
This is a developing story. Please watch KTUU.com and the Channel 2 newscasts for updates.
Email Jason Lamb
