Dear ,
The primary election is behind us, and I’m excited to once again send regular newsletters to you. Within this bulletin, you will find information on new polling places in our district, the Census, absentee voting, and how you can adopt a polling place.
On Tuesday night, we saw preliminary election results, and many races are still undecided. There is an unprecedented number of absentee ballots which will be counted on August 25. If you want to vote absentee in the upcoming general election, please fill out the absentee ballot application sooner than later. Anyone, for any reason, may request an absentee ballot to vote by mail. Voting absentee is safe, secure, quick, and easy.
If you hadn’t noticed, several polling places in our district were moved from their historical sites in both House District 19 and House District 20. I understand it can be burdensome when a polling place is moved, particularly with little notice. If you intend to vote in-person, take a moment, and double check your polling location for the upcoming general election.
U.S. Census and the State Redistricting Board
On August 3, the U.S. Census Bureau announced they were ending all counting efforts a month earlier than originally anticipated. Alaska currently lags behind the nation in response rate. Unfortunately, if hundreds of thousands of Alaskans are not counted this Census, tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for Alaska schools, infrastructure, highways, health care, veteran services, and so much more are lost annually. If you have not done so, please complete your Census today and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
In addition to the federal dollars that come in with the Census, it also defines our legislative representation. Every ten years, a redistricting board is appointed to redraw legislative district maps. The Governor appoints two members, while the Senate President, Speaker of the House, and the Supreme Court Chief Justice each pick one. Earlier this month, all five members were chosen. They are:
- Bethany Marcum (Anchorage), Governor Dunleavy’s appointee
- E. Budd Simpson (Juneau), Governor Dunleavy’s appointee
- John Binkley (Fairbanks), Senate President Giessel’s appointee
- Nicole Borromeo (Anchorage), House Speaker Edgmon’s appointee
- Melanie Bahnke (Nome), Supreme Court Chief Justice Bolger’s appointee
I know many of these appointees personally and have worked with several professionally. These members are tasked with one of the most meticulous and sensitive responsibilities Alaska will face this decade.
Special Session
I am continuing to encourage my colleagues to call ourselves back into a special session to fix Governor Dunleavy’s errors in his plan to distribute federal CARES Act funding. Gov. Dunleavy’s original plan to give much-needed grants to Alaska businesses cut out any business that received help directly from the federal government. That was not the intention or goal. These small businesses employ thousands of Alaskans and are struggling to stay above water during this pandemic.
We also need to extend moratoriums on rent, mortgages, and evictions which lapsed on July 1. This protects Alaskans that have lost their job because of the pandemic from becoming homeless. This is not a path to payment forgiveness but a delayed payment plan.
Back to School
This year’s school start continues to look unlike any other back-to-school event we’ve experienced. The Anchorage School District is doing everything in their power to ensure our students and teachers stay safe and healthy. Superintendent Bishop has indicated another assessment will be made after Labor Day regarding when and how to re-open schools for in-person teaching. Up-to-date information is available on the ASD website.
Lastly, when the legislature gaveled out in March, we left without finalizing a capital budget. Things were hectic during that period, and we still didn’t know all the details about the severity of COVID-19 nor how to prevent an uncontrolled spread. We got our most critical issues dealt with, and now that we understand the science behind protecting ourselves from the virus, we need to return to Juneau and finalize that capital budget to bring in millions of federal dollars to put Alaskans back to work.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.
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Senator Tom Begich
Senate District J
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Alaska currently has the lowest Census response rate in the United States. This means our state may miss out on millions of dollars in federal funding over the next decade. Please, complete your 2020 Census today to help fund schools, roads, and public services.
Additionally, results from the 2020 Census are used to determine political representation at all levels of government. This has a direct impact on regulations influencing your neighborhood and laws governing Alaska.
Visit My2020census.gov to complete your Census report– it will only take 10 minutes.
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General Election Absentee Ballots |
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Voting is important to our democratic process. It is our civic duty and a critical component to ensuring your voice is heard. As Alaska continues to see an increase in COVID-19 cases, it is essential to stay safe. Going to a polling location may be risky and could put your family and friends in danger of exposure to COVID-19.
You may also contact them via email at [email protected] or (907) 270-2700 or toll free at (877) 375-6508 if you have questions or if you would like an absentee ballot application mailed to you.
Upcoming Voting Deadlines
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Monday, August 31: Withdrawal deadline for General Election
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Sunday, October 4: Deadline for voters to register to vote or update registration
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Monday, October 19: Absentee In Person, EV, electronic transmission and Special Needs voting begins
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Monday, October 19: Deadline for Official Election Pamphlet candidate pages to be posted on the web
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Saturday, October 24: Deadline to receive absentee by-mail applications
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Thursday, October 29: Deadline for write-in candidates to submit a letter of intent
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Monday, November 2: Deadline to receive absentee by electronic transmission ballot applications
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Tuesday, November 3: GENERAL ELECTION DAY. Polls open from 7a.m. to 8p.m.
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The Division of Elections is looking for folks to help staff voting precincts during the general elections. Without staff, voting precincts will have to close, which we saw happen in five Alaska communities during the primary election this week. For additional details or to learn how your civic group can Adopt a Precinct, visit the Election Workers and Registrars website.
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Sometimes when faced with a distressing situations I pull the covers over my head or watch mindless TV for hours—sometimes I start to find solutions. This whole thing about the post office upset me greatly: Firing managers, cutting overtime needed for the election, and removal of processing equipment. Unfathomable. It was upsetting because, especially in Alaska, we depend on a nonprofit delivery of correspondence and goods but also because it was said the purpose was to affect the election. These changes were started in other states but it was suspected they would become national. Whew. Those postal reforms have been put on hold until after the election. So that’s one issue I can stop fretting about for the near future.
Last week when I told a friend in Denver about my concerns for the election she was shocked we were so dependent on the post office. In Denver they set up absentee ballot deposit boxes outside government offices throughout the city. You can find them at the sheriff’s office, the DMV offices, the post office, etc. Pick up is done by poll workers, same as they do the in person ballots. No worries about COVID-19, no worries about having enough poll workers, and less overtime for the post office.
If you are concerned about voter fraud…rest assured. The election workers do the same exact check as they do when you go to the polls in person including comparing your signature to the one they have on record. And in spite of partisan fears, research suggest neither party gains an advantage.
This year absentee ballot request forms were sent to all Alaskan seniors. That’s four trips through the post office (absentee ballot request form sent to us, we send it back, a ballot is mailed to us, we mail it back). Our primary election which allows various ballot selection possibilities may need some tweaking but why not a universal mail-in ballot for the general election? Before election day a ballot is mailed to every voter and then the ballots can be mailed back or dropped off in a ballot box at a convenient location. A lot less handling. What about voting by fax or email? Many people don’t have faxes and I do worry about hacking into computers.
Anyhow, that’s where my mind went after watching ‘Naked and Afraid’ for five straight hours (just joking).
Stay well,
Kayla
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Here are a few websites to you may visit to get direct updates on many of the policy issues near and dear to this office (click a bullet point to be redirected):
Finally, you may absolutely contact me directly any time. My staff and I generally get back to emails ([email protected]) and phone calls (907) 269-0169) within 48 hours.
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(907) 465-3704 (Juneau / session)
(907) 269-0169 (Anchorage / interim)
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