This weekend is the last chance for people to register to vote, and doing so in Juneau became a little bit easier this week.
Kindred Post, a post office and shop at the corner of Franklin and Front streets downtown, is now an official voter registration agency, according to a press release Thursday. The State of Alaska qualified the shop’s entire staff as registrars.
Oct. 7 is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 general election. Applications must be received or postmarked on or before Oct. 7, and people who need to update their registration also need to have their applications in by that day.
People can also register or update their information at https://voterregistration.alaska.gov. The regional Division of Elections office at the Mendenhall Mall is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Owner Christy NaMee Eriksen said in the release that Kindred Post sees a wide range of customers and can help people of all walks of life get registered to vote.
“As a post office we serve a diverse slice of our neighborhood — it is not uncommon for us to serve a millionaire and someone experiencing homelessness on the same day,” Eriksen said in the release. “If we can make each person who comes to Kindred Post feel valuable and heard and equipped with the tools to use that power outside of our walls, we will move a little closer to that goal.”
Staff went through training to learn how to help people register, Juneau Election Supervisor Lauri Wilson said in the release.
“Registrars provide services across the state and in places where we don’t have staff,” Wilson said in the release. “They also benefit voters because they serve as witnesses, so the registration form becomes effective on the date it was signed. That’s important when we’re up against a registration deadline.”
Eriksen, an artist and activist, said she hopes Kindred Post can provide this service to people who might not otherwise have a way to register.
“We see voting as an easy, important and empowering way to engage in decisions that affect our community,” Eriksen said in the release. “Still, many people have faced a litany of barriers, which have made some feel that voting is not for them. We wanted to be a voter registration agency to encourage more of the people we serve to see themselves as having access to that tool.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
