The state has long allowed early voting, making it easy on Alaskans to never miss marking a ballot in an election year. And now the borough is doing the same thing.
Good for borough officials and the assembly to approve the change in voting procedures, good for residents and a good move for representative government, which is more representative of the public when more people vote.
Rather than require voters to make time only on election day or go through a cumbersome absentee voting process to cast their ballot in advance, the assembly has changed municipal code to allow residents to stop in at City Hall at any time during the 15 days before an election and cast an early ballot.
It’s similar to how the state has run elections for years, and it couldn’t be more convenient. No hassle getting time off work on election day; no juggling lunch hour or dinnertime at home; no making a special trip downtown. Just remember to vote when you’re already in town someday and be done with it.
The municipal election is Oct. 1, so early voting will start mid-September. The state primary election is Aug. 20, and early voting already is underway weekdays at City Hall, through Aug. 19. The state will go through the same routine for the Nov. 5 general election.
Early voters get the same ballot as anyone else, and the security requirements are the same as election day voting. Officials confirm you are a registered voter and they check the list to make sure no one votes twice — once early and again on election day. Early voting does not favor any candidates or issues over others, it just makes it easier for people to participate in elections.
Residents may say they don’t like the choices on the ballot, but that’s a separate issue. The point behind early voting is that people can’t say it’s impossible to find time to vote when they have more than two weeks to make time before election day. It’s not a lot to ask in a democracy. Early voting has been shown to boost turnout, which is the intent.
Though summer is still underway, it’s time to start paying attention to this fall’s lineup of municipal and state elections. Early voting means people can do it at their convenience.
- Wrangell Sentinel
Reader Comments(0)