My Turn: 2016 primary election in Alaska: Get out and vote

  • By BYRON MALLOTT
  • Sunday, August 14, 2016 1:02am
  • Opinion

The right to vote is a foundation of our democracy and exercising that right is important. This year more than 19,000 Alaskans have registered to vote and most of them did it via our new online service. I’m hoping each and every one of you — newly registered and longtime voters — exercises your right to vote in our Alaska primary this Tuesday, Aug. 16. Both the primary and the general elections will have a profound impact on our state’s future and yours as well.

I took advantage of the state’s early and absentee-in-person voting that started Aug. 1. By voting early, I can spend Election Day observing how we are doing in villages that were part of a lawsuit brought by Alaskans who demanded we provide language assistance as part of the Voting Rights Act. Under the guidance of Elections Director Josie Bahnke, the Division of Elections has worked hard to improve everything — from outreach and translations to customer service and updating the tired website. As part of the settlement, the U.S. Department of Justice will be observing how we do both in the primary and the general elections.

The Alaska Division of Elections’ mission is straightforward — to ensure that every qualified voter has a meaningful opportunity to cast a ballot and have their vote counted. And the legal settlement’s message was clear. We needed to improve our performance and our communications with Alaskans. We are well on our way, with innovative team building for translators; adding dialects and additional language panels; updating glossaries; developing cost-effective election worker training using interactive online classes so that Alaskans can be trained on their time schedule, not ours; and, finally, keeping Alaskans informed with outreach to many groups such as the League of Women Voters and the Alaska Federation of Natives

Alaska is facing a fiscal crisis. The current Legislature did not pass a fiscal plan that would provide us with a sustainable future. Despite a 44 percent drop in government spending over the past five years, and Gov. Bill Walker’s $1.2 billion in vetoes, we still have a $3.2 billion deficit. We have to use precious savings to cover the costs of this year’s budget. As Gov. Walker has said, “How we deal with this crisis will define us all — with no less than Alaska’s future hanging in the balance.”

As you choose who to support during this critical time in our history, please ask your candidate how they plan to solve the budget crisis. Make sure whoever you pick shares your vision for a truly sustainable and prosperous Alaska.

If you didn’t register for Tuesday’s primary you still have time to gear up for the Nov. 8 general election. The last day to register or change registration for the general election is Oct. 9. Regional offices are open for voter registration from noon-4 p.m. Monday through Friday or you can register online at https://voterregistration.alaska.gov/

• Lt. Governor Byron Mallott oversees the Division of Elections as part of his duties.

More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

The F/V Liberty, captained by Trenton Clark, fishes the Pacific near Metlakatla on Aug. 20, 2024. (Ash Adams/The New York Times)
My Turn: Charting a course toward seafood independence for Alaska’s vulnerable food systems

As a commercial fisherman based in Sitka and the executive director of… Continue reading

People watch a broadcast of Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, delivering a speech at Times Square in New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Graham Dickie/The New York Times)
Opinion: The Democratic Party’s failure of imagination

Aside from not being a lifelong Republican like Peter Wehner, the sentiment… Continue reading

A steady procession of vehicles and students arrives at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé before the start of the new school year on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Let’s consider tightening cell phones restrictions in Juneau schools

A recent uptick in student fights on and off campus has Juneau… Continue reading

A map shows state-by-state results of aggregate polls for U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump (red) and Kamala Harris (blue), with states too close to call in grey, as of Oct. 29. (Wikimedia Commons map)
Opinion: The silent Republican Party betrayal

On Monday night, Donald Trump reported that two Pennsylvania counties had received… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letters: Vote no on ballot measure 2 for the future of Alaska

The idea that ranked choice voting (RCV) is confusing is a red… Continue reading

(Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
10 reasons to put country above party labels in election

Like many of you I grew up during an era when people… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Alaskans are smart, can see the advantages of RCV and open primaries

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that neither endorses… Continue reading

Tongass National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service photo)
My Turn: Why I oppose privatization of the Tongass rainforest

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been trying to privatize the Tongass for years.… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Supporting ranked choice voting is the honest choice

Some folks are really up in arms about the increased freedom afforded… Continue reading

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Election presents stark contrasts

This election, both at the state and federal level, presents a choice… Continue reading

Former Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho discusses ranked choice voting at a Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce weekly luncheon on June 30, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Vote no Ballot Measure 2 and protect open primaries and protect our democracy

The focus of last week’s Juneau World Affairs Forum was the rise… Continue reading