Alaska’s Remote Communities Depend on Air Travel for Voting Access
In the remote village of Beaver, Alaska, air travel is not just a convenience but a necessity. Located approximately 110 miles north of Fairbanks, this community of about 50 people relies on weekday flights for essential supplies and postal services. Airplanes are crucial in Alaska’s expansive landscape, where many areas lack road access year-round. This reliance extends to the electoral process, as planes deliver voting materials to and from rural precincts, as well as ballots for those voting by mail.
The unique geographic and logistical challenges faced by Alaska have heightened interest in a U.S. Supreme Court case originating from Mississippi. This case questions whether ballots received after Election Day should be counted in federal elections. Currently, Alaska accepts ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive within 10 days, allowing 15 days for overseas voters.
Potential Impact on Alaska’s Voting System
Rhonda Pitka, a poll worker and community leader in Beaver, emphasized the importance of existing processes that ensure ballots are counted. “They’ll be disenfranchising thousands of people — thousands of people in these rural communities,” she warned if the court mandates that all ballots be received by Election Day. This sentiment is echoed by many who fear that such a ruling could invalidate votes from remote areas.
Alaska is one of 14 states permitting mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrive later, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In addition, 15 states have grace periods for military and overseas ballots. However, Alaska’s challenging geography and vast distances make these provisions especially critical.
Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system requires ballots from rural areas to be flown to the state Division of Elections in Juneau. Despite a 10-day grace period, some ballots still arrive too late for counting, as occurred in parts of the 2022 election.
Alaska’s Political Leaders Respond
Alaska’s senior U.S. senator, Lisa Murkowski, expressed concern over the potential ruling’s impact. She described it as a move to dismantle mail voting nationwide. Murkowski highlighted the need for accessible, fair elections, saying, “I feel very, very strongly that the effort that we should be making at the federal level is to do all that we can to make our elections accessible, fair and transparent for every lawful voter out there.”
In contrast, other Alaskan legislators, such as Rep. Nick Begich and Sen. Dan Sullivan, support the SAVE America Act, which imposes stricter voting regulations, while also advocating for time allowances for rural ballots.
Challenges Cited in Court Filings
Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox and Solicitor General Jenna Lorence submitted a court filing outlining the difficulties of conducting elections in Alaska. In an example from 2024, poll workers in Atqasuk had to mail ballots due to connectivity issues, delaying their receipt by nine days. The filing seeks clarity on the definition of ballots being “received” by Election Day in light of these challenges.
Effect on Native Voters
Legal representatives from Native American organizations argue that requiring ballots to arrive by Election Day would “disproportionately disenfranchise” Alaska Native voters. Limited postal services in rural areas mean ballots may not be postmarked until they reach larger hubs, causing delays. In the 2022 general election, a significant portion of absentee ballots from remote districts arrived post-Election Day.
Michelle Sparck, of the advocacy group Get Out the Native Vote, perceives the Supreme Court case and SAVE Act as attempts to centralize control over elections. She criticized these measures, noting Alaska’s minimal election fraud record and suggesting that the focus should be on resolving existing barriers to voting.
