The race between incumbent Democrat Ben Nageak and insurgent Democratic candidate Dean Westlake has narrowed to three votes in the North Slope Borough.
The Alaska Division of Elections updated its vote tally Wednesday with newly arrived absentee ballots. Friday is the deadline for absentee ballots to arrive and be counted from the Aug. 16 statewide primary.
The Nageak-Westlake race is the closest in the state and the only one with a reasonable possibility of change due to absentee votes. Thus far, 33 absentee ballots have been received in District 40; 18 went to Westlake and 15 to Nageak.
The Alaska Democratic Party backed Westlake financially and politically, asking its supporters to favor the challenger over an incumbent who was seen as too favorable to the Republican-led majority in the House.
The issue on the North Slope is being complicated by a pair of Election Day irregularities, and the chairman of the Alaska Senate’s state affairs committee has scheduled a meeting Monday to learn more about the situation.
In the village of Shungnak, voters were mistakenly given both Republican and Democratic-Libertarian-Independence Party ballots. In a primary election, voting is supposed to be restricted by party, with only registered Republicans, undeclared and nonpartisan voters permitted to use the Republican ballot. Anyone can use the A-D-L ballot.
The irregularity was first reported by the Alaska Dispatch News, but Division of Elections director Josie Bahnke told that paper that the error didn’t allow people in the vilage to vote twice.
Nevertheless, the village reported a turnout of 62.89 percent, with 100 of 159 registered voters participating. The statewide turnout was just 16.56 percent.
In Shungnak, 50 votes were cast for the contested House race: 48 went to Westlake and just two to Nageak.
Another irregularity was reported in the Browerville precinct of Barrow. Republican voters there were incorrectly told they had to cast a questioned ballot if they wanted to use a Democratic ballot.
Monday’s hearing, said Sen. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak, is “a way to get a little more light” on the situation.
Stoltze, the chairman of the State Affairs committee, has asked for Bahnke and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, who oversees elections, to testify at Monday’s hearing.
He said he wants them to speak up before the election is certified, something expected next week.
He said “the whole result is not that relevant,” but he wants to make sure processes are followed correctly.
“I’d rather do a consult during the operation than an autopsy review,” he said of the hearing.
