Election

Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell announced today the opening of the public comment period for the review of election laws and procedures currently being conducted by his office and the Division of Elections.   "The 2010 election was historic," Lieutenant Governor Treadwell said.  "It revealed an opportunity to review the way we conduct elections.  We want to ensure any concerns Alaskans have are heard and addressed. "   The lieutenant governor previously announced that his office would conduct a thorough review of Alaska's election laws and procedures following the 2010 general election and subsequent legal disputes over the U.S. Senate race.

Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell plans to release his review of the 2010 election Friday in Anchorage. The long-awaited report is meant to recap the state’s handling of the hotly disputed write-in race between Joe Miller and Lisa Murkowski; and make recommendations as to whether the lawmakers should clarify the election law to allow misspellings and abbreviations to be counted on ballots where voter intent is clear. A bill to make those changes has already passed the Alaska Senate and is now sitting in the House State Affairs Committee, where Rep. Bob Lynn (R-Anchorage)

The deadline to register to vote in the Municipal Election is Sunday, March 6. Anchorage voters must be registered 30 days before the April 5 Election Day. Voters can register or update their voter registration by filling out a registration form which can be found at  http://ltgov.state.ak.us/elections.

Gov. Sean Parnell filed for re-election Friday afternoon at the Division of Elections office in Anchorage. Parnell, former Gov. Sarah Palin's lieutenant governor, became governor when Palin resigned last July. Parnell says he wants to continue working toward the goals he has set since he came into office. "When you consider the entire economic package that we've put forward, as well as the opportunities for families and public safety, I think we've made some real progress," Parnell said.

The Anchorage Assembly is closer to deciding what changes might be in store for next year's Anchorage city election. In April, several polling places ran out of ballots, sending voters across town to try and find a place to vote. The changes, meant to avoid a similar ballot shortage next year, may involve everything from where extra ballots are stored, to when people can protest a decision from the city's election commission. Investigator and retired judge Dan Hensley spoke in front of city lawmakers today, as they mulled over potential changes to city election laws and procedures.

The remaining primary ballots of the Alaska election in August have been counted, according to the Alaska Division of Elections. On Wednesday, the Division of Elections counted 263 absentee votes and now the State Review Board will go through the process of checking precincts and absentee materials. Ballot Measure 1 held on to its slim margin with a 50.15 percent approving. The measure would allow municipalities to raise the property tax exemption amount for homeowners from $20,000 to $50,000.

A long-awaited state review of the 2010 election was released Friday, recommending some 34 changes in election procedures to strengthen ballot security and improve public notice of election procedures. Many state lawmakers called for the review after last year’s fiercely contested U.S. Senate race, in which challenger Joe Miller won the Republican primary over Sen. Lisa Murkowski -- who staged a write-in bid to reclaim her seat, winning by more than 10,000 votes according to the state Division of Elections.

An Alaska lawmaker believes the state Legislature should consider changes to election law following the contentious U.S. Senate race. State Sen. Bill Wielechowski says his staff is looking at how other states deal with write-in ballots. Joe Miller will make his decision by Friday on whether or not he will continue his legal fight over the counting of write-in ballots. Wielechowski thinks the legislature should review the write-in ballot language, saying it could ultimately cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars.

On Tuesday, Anchorage voters will have a full slate of decisions to make about the city's future. For starters, voters will select Anchorage's next mayor. Mayor Dan Sullivan is running for a second (and final, due to term limits) three-year term. His main challenger is Anchorage Assembly member Paul Honeman, currently representing East Anchorage. For more information about all the mayoral candidates who answered our annual questionnaire, click HERE. Voters will also be deciding three area-wide Anchorage School Board Seats.

As Sen. Lisa Murkowski struggles with the biggest decision of her political career, the pressure is on from many supporters who want her  to run a write-in campaign -- and some of the loudest voices are coming from rural Alaska. Challenger Joe Miller's upset of Murkowski in the Republican U.S. Senate primary wasn't just Alaska news. National networks discussed how it would affect national politics, but little was said about the impact on Alaskans most affected by the loss of Murkowski's seniority.