Five rural Alaska voting sites remain open or closing on Election Day

Five absentee in-person voting locations in rural Alaska remain without confirmed poll workers on Election Day, according to a new agreement between the state Division of Elections and the Alaska Democratic Party. The unresolved sites are in Holy Cross, Chignik Bay, Goodnews Bay, Kongiganak, and Alakanuk. State officials and party leaders agreed to collaborate on recruiting qualified individuals to staff these specific communities before polls close.

The arrangement follows two lawsuits filed late last week by voting advocates. One suit, brought by the Midnight Sun Independence Fund, ended in a private settlement with the state. The second, filed by the Alaska Democratic Party, was paused after Anchorage Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews ordered the parties to work together to resolve the staffing shortages. A hearing scheduled for Monday morning in the Democratic Party case was canceled following the agreement.

Jenny-Marie Stryker, executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party, said the state committed to certifying qualified individuals in the affected communities. She noted that her organization has conducted daily check-ins with rural polling places over the past week. Stryker described the current situation as a mix of irregular operating hours and unexpected closures that differ from what is listed on the Division of Elections website.

Stryker pointed to Napaskiak, which was closed on Monday despite being listed as open online. She also reported that the site in Akiak was closed as of Monday morning, with a possibility of opening by afternoon. Stryker said rural voters deserve the same access to voting as those in urban centers and that her team continues to identify and address issues in real time.

Rep. Nellie Unangiq Jimmie, a Democrat from Toksook Bay, was among the lawmakers who contacted the Division of Elections last week to flag the closures. Her district covers two dozen communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Jimmie has helped recruit poll workers by making phone calls in Yup'ik but said it is not her role to fill state staffing gaps while also running for reelection.

Jimmie said the inconsistent access to voting sites adds to existing challenges in her district, such as delayed mail service for absentee ballots. She stated that these barriers are taking away her constituents' voice. She expressed frustration that the division is asking legislators to perform the work of finding poll workers.

House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, an independent from Dillingham, criticized Gov. Dunleavy's veto of an election reform bill passed in March. That bill would have created a rural liaison position within the Division of Elections and established a ballot-curing process for minor errors. Edgmon said the state is attempting to correct deficiencies in smaller communities but could not confirm if those efforts have been fully satisfied.