Voting sites closed in 18 rural communities despite midterms

Voters in 18 rural Alaska communities reported that their local absentee voting sites failed to open on schedule, according to a letter sent by Sen. Bill Wielechowski to the Division of Elections on Friday.

Wielechowski, a Democrat from Anchorage, stated that groups with personnel on the ground in these villages found polling places closed on Oct. 19 and 20. Those dates mark the beginning of the early and in-person absentee voting period, which started a week before the midterms.

State officials disputed the total count but confirmed that several sites had not opened as planned. In a response letter on Monday, Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher said three sites declined to open and another three failed to respond to state inquiries. Beecher noted that all locations had provided signed agreements listing their hours, which were posted on the division’s website.

The division’s website listed five communities as temporarily closed: Ekwok, Goodnews Bay, Kongiganak, Mertarvik, and Scammon Bay. Three additional sites, Chignik Bay, Fort Wainwright, and Levelock, were removed from the website without explanation. At least two others appeared in a social media post as closed. Officials stated that 12 of the 18 sites flagged by the senator were operational.

Representatives from 10 villages confirmed their sites were open, though some noted inconsistent hours. In Huslia and Toksook Bay, officials said voting was available by appointment. In Gambell, an official reported that voting had opened on Friday, later than originally scheduled. In Newhalen, officials said they were ending early absentee voting ahead of schedule to allow time for mailing ballots. None of these specific operational changes were listed on the division’s website.

Kendra Kloster, director of government relations for the Alaska Federation of Natives, said the division needs to clearly communicate when and where voting is available. She noted that communities may offer limited voting days due to workload, but that information must be transparent to avoid confusion. "I don't want to dictate to (a) community exactly how they can do it," Kloster said. "If that's the case, then I think that information just needs to be clearly communicated."

The Division of Elections stated it mailed ballots to officials in 109 communities across Western Alaska. The division said it would investigate claims that errors by voting officials could lead to ballot rejection. Beecher wrote that absentee in-person ballots are not rejected for mistakes made by AVOs. Wielechowski, who helped draft voting reforms that Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed earlier this year, raised these concerns in his letter.