Alaska Lawmaker Warns 18 Rural Early Voting Sites Remain Closed as Senate Race Faces DOJ Challenge
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 24
Alaska Lawmaker Warns 18 Rural Early Voting Sites Remain Closed as Senate Race Faces DOJ Challenge
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 24
Summary
At least 18 rural Alaska early voting locations listed on the state elections website had not opened by Friday, a state lawmaker said in a letter to election officials and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom.
The closures affect remote villages seen as important to Democratic turnout in Alaska's critical U.S. Senate race, where organizers and tribal leaders say access is already difficult.
Activists say it remains unclear whether the sites are shut because of deliberate voter suppression or the longstanding logistical problems of running elections across Alaska's vast rural terrain.
The warning landed a day after the Justice Department sued Alaska at President Donald Trump's request to block certification if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan narrowly loses over possible voter confusion with another candidate of the same name.
National Democrats and the League of Women Voters have sought to join Alaska's defense, adding to scrutiny of both ballot access and the election's eventual certification.