Carol Beecher, the new director of the Alaska Division of Elections, answers questions from reporters on Feb. 16. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Carol Beecher, the new director of the Alaska Division of Elections, answers questions from reporters on Feb. 16. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Carol Beecher, the new director of the Alaska Division of Elections, answers questions from reporters on Feb. 16. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Carol Beecher, the new director of the Alaska Division of Elections, answers questions from reporters on Feb. 16. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska to stay with voter fraud prevention network as other Republican states drop out

Other states are leaving ERIC, often based on unfounded 2020 election allegations

  • By James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
  • Thursday, June 8, 2023 12:34pm
  • NewsElections

By James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

The state of Alaska will keep its membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center, a nonprofit network that helps states keep track of registered voters and reduce fraud, an official at the Alaska Division of Elections confirmed Wednesday.

Eight Republican-led states have withdrawn from the multistate partnership, known as ERIC, since far-right groups and former President Donald Trump began attempting to discredit the group in 2022.

Earlier this year, Carol Beecher, the new director of the Alaska Division of Elections said during a legislative hearing that she was considering whether to withdraw Alaska from the group.

That would have been a major change in policy from former Alaska Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer and former division boss Gail Fenumiai.

On Wednesday, Tiffany Montemayor, public relations manager for the division, said the state will remain a member.

“ERIC is one tool, of many, that DOE uses to maintain the voter rolls and is particularly helpful in detecting if someone has also registered to vote in another participating state,” Montemayor said. “Until another tool is available that can provide the same or enhanced services, the division will continue to participate in ERIC.”

Alaska joined ERIC in 2016 at the urging of state legislators, who voted by a combined total of 56-3 to allow the state to share voter information with other states in order to catch people who had registered to vote in multiple states.

Among the “yes” votes were Meyer, then-senator Mike Dunleavy, and Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, who later became Senate President and was the lead sponsor of the bill.

Until 2022, the ERIC network was a rare instance of bipartisan cooperation on elections issues, with both Republican and Democratic states and politicians advocating its use.

Alaska has been able to cancel the voter registrations of almost 16,000 people who have moved out of the state or died because of ERIC, according to data presented to the Legislature this year.

But in recent years, the network has been targeted by far-right Republicans who endorse Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 presidential election.

Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, attempted to de-fund the state’s membership in the group with budget amendments in 2022 and this year, but both attempts were defeated.

Eastman’s attempt last year was tabled without a vote, a sign that it lacked support, but this year more lawmakers backed the effort. Nine other House Republicans and Rep. Josiah Patkotak, I-Utqiagvik, supported Eastman’s proposal this year.

• James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. This article originally appeared online at alaskabeacon.com. Alaska Beacon, an affiliate of States Newsroom, is an independent, nonpartisan news organization focused on connecting Alaskans to their state government.

More in News

Bob Girt works with the Alaska Youth Stewards on Prince of Wales Island in 2022. (Photo courtesy of Bethany Goodrich / Sustainable Southeast Partnership)
Threads of the Tongass: Building a sustainable future

“These students can look back and say, ‘I helped build that. I was a contributor.’”

KTOO, Juneau's public radio station, is photographed in Juneau, Alaska, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Public radio facing cuts as Congress moves to pull back funding

KTOO could lose one-third of its budget if the House passes a bill cutting funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting

Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo
The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14.
Ships in port for the week of July 19

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2025 schedule.… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, July 17, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, July 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Most Read