The biggest reason for rejections was a lack of a witness signature, accounting for more than a third of rejected ballots.
More than 7,500 ballots were rejected in the special election to fill the remainder of the late Congressman Don Young’s term, according to the final vote tally.
“If there is not a voter signature, a voter identifier, a witness signature and a postmark on or before Election Day the ballot cannot count,” Montemayor said. “These provisions have been in place for decades.” Bethel Mayor Mark Springer says he believes there wasn’t enough outreach to residents in those communities, many of whom don’t speak English as a first language.
“For the first time in history, voters in communities designated as requiring language assistance were directly mailed translated information about the election and instructions on how to vote a by-mail ballot,” Montemayor said. Some lawmakers have pointed to ballot curing, a process allowing voters to address issues with their ballots, as a potential solution to the high rate of rejections. In 24 states, officials will notify residents if there is an issue with their ballot and allow them to make any needed changes before counting it. In Alaska, the state will notify someone by mail if their ballot is rejected, but only 10 days after the election is certified.
The high rate of rural Alaska ballot rejections has garnered frustration from several Democratic lawmakers and Alaska Native advocates who sent letters to state officials earlier this month demanding answers about rejection rates and solutions, saying the system was unfairly silencing the voices of Alaska Natives.
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