Census and Election updates with reflections from our long-term correspondent, Kayla Epstein, on the meaning of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. SUBSCRIBE ‌ ‌ Dear Friends and Neighbors, The dates they are a changin' (with apologies to Bob Dylan). The deadline to complete the U.S. Census is near. Recently, a federal court extended the deadline to the original date of October 31 after the Administration moved it to September 30. Soon after, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce ordered the deadline to be October 5, 2020, despite the court’s ruling. Court action today may confirm the deadline as October 31, 2020. But with the uncertainty, I ask you to please complete your 2020 Census today to help fund schools, roads, and public services. Otherwise, Alaska will miss out on millions of federal dollars over the next decade. 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. Remember to encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to complete the Census as well. Visit My2020census.gov to complete your Census report - it will only take 10 minutes. Since the last new newsletter, the Alaska Division of Elections moved the date for mailing absentee ballots forward to October 2 for those who requested them. You can still request a ballot up until October 24 using the State’s online absentee ballot application form. Here are some additional important election dates for you: Sunday, October 4: Deadline for voters to register to vote or update registration Monday, October 19: Absentee In Person, early voting, electronic transmission and Special Needs voting begins Monday, October 19: Deadline for Official Election Pamphlet candidate pages to be posted on the web Saturday, October 24: Deadline to receive absentee by-mail applications Thursday, October 29: Deadline for write-in candidates to submit a letter of intent Monday, November 2: Deadline to receive absentee by electronic transmission ballot applications Tuesday, November 3: GENERAL ELECTION DAY. Polls open from 7a.m. to 8p.m. It is important to remember the Division of Elections will start counting absentee ballots on November 10. Given that over 60% of absentee ballots requested in the primary election were the Alaska Independence and Democrat ballot, you can expect that the results on November 3 will likely end up different after all the absentee ballots are counted. If you vote early and in-person absentee before Thursday, October 29, the Division of Elections has indicated that your ballot will be counted on election day. You can find more early voting information on the Divisions of Elections’ website. Finally, in all of your activities, keep in mind that COVID-19 cases are again on the rise. Please wear a mask when in public places, maintain social distancing, and wash your hands frequently! All my best, Senator Tom Begich Senate District J Let's Meet Up...Virtually District 19: Airport Heights, Mountain View, Russian Jack District 20: Downtown, Fairview, Government Hill, South Addition Dear Friend and Neighbor, Between our last e-newsletter and now I celebrated the Jewish High Holidays. It’s two connected holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Senator Begich asked me to explain these holidays to you. So here is a run down: On Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, there is a beginning of a dialogue. In our tradition we ask, “In what ways could I have been a better person to my friends and family, as a member of our communities, and unto the world?” We go through a list of grievances where a higher power might have found we had shown poor judgement. We have ten days to make amends with people we may have wronged in some way, and come up with a plan of action for the next year. Then on Yom Kippur we focus again on what we have done, or not done, and commit ourselves to doing better. Here’s a little on the Jewish prospective: The Bible says that God built the world in six days and on the seventh He/She* rested. It’s our belief that “rested” does not mean the world was completed. He/She rested on the 7th because humans were made on the 6th day to complete the rest of the work. That work includes bringing social justice to the world, stewardship of the bounty that was created, to let creativity (the arts) flow…you get the picture. We think of it as ‘healing the world.’  Some High Holidays come and go with little impact on me. This year I felt it keenly. We as a country are questioning ourselves because of problems long ignored. George Floyd didn’t happen out of nowhere. The strife in our community we now see has roots in a common reason…people are feeling neglected and pushed around, even though they come from different demographics and different perspectives. The out of control fires in the west have long been predicted but remedies have been ignored. Anger and fires raging all around with a short ten days for us celebrating these holidays to find direction to do good. But it is a time for personal reflection as well. I have a cousin dying. Even though we have lived our entire adult lives far apart I should have had a deeper connection to her children so they had more family to draw on, especially at this sad time. What can I do to change that now? In a more intimate way, some times parts of my personality make others uncomfortable…too bold, too timid, share too much, hide too much…how do I find that balance? Yom Kippur is over and questions still trouble me. I want to say, "What can just little ole' me do?" But, I must not be overwhelmed. I have a little more direction now and a will to act. Stay safe, Kayla * Jewish philosophy does not include a supreme being in an anthropomorphic form and God is described throughout the Old Testament using Hebrew words of both gender. No More Newsletters Until November For so many of our elected officials, including my own position, 2020 is an election year. Because of this, how we are ethically permitted to contact constituents with the use of public resources is limited–including this newsletter. For this reason, you will not hear from me or my staff via this platform until after the November 4th election. In the meantime, 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): Absentee Voting Anchorage School Board Updates Alaska CARES Funding Alaska Tourism Census Reporting COVID-19 State of Alaska Updates COVID-19 Municipality of Anchorage Updates Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) Daily Legislative Hearing Schedule 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. Contact Me! (907) 465-3704 (Juneau / session) (907) 269-0169 (Anchorage / interim) [email protected] ‌ ‌ Sen. Tom Begich | State Capitol Building, 120 4th St, Room 11, Juneau, AK 99801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by [email protected]