It is an open question whether the winter will end this year out in the peaks and valleys and burbs and burgs and bays and straits and streams and swales of Alaska. Bills that resemble spring are few and far between in the Alaska State Legislature: buds that bring hope for a new beginning, a strong future. One such bill, …
Leg With Louie: Part and Parcel of a National Voter Suppression Strategy
One clear sign that this voter suppression effort in the Alaska State Legislature is tied to the spirit of Trump’s false claims of election fraud is that Homer Representative Sarah Vance will likely file a new “election integrity” bill. In a recent constituent newsletter, she reported that she would soon file her Election Integrity Act (capitalized for increased legitimacy), which …
Leg With Louie: Senate State Affairs is off and running
SB 39, the radical voter suppression bill, was heard on Thursday in Senate State Affairs. The hearing was a platform for Senator Mike Shower to air out the evidence-poor argument that our current voting system is wide open and vulnerable to an apocalypse of cumulative human error. Shower’s solution to these baseless claims: a tightened and costly voting system that …
Alaska’s latest election lawsuit would give absentee voters a chance to fix mail-in ballot errors
A lawsuit is seeking to give absentee voters in Alaska a chance to fix mail-in ballot errors that would prevent their votes from being counted. The lawsuit was filed last week by the Alaska Center Education Fund, Alaska Public Interest Research Group and Sitka resident Floyd Tomkins. While voters are able to fix ballot mistakes in some municipal elections, Alaska …
The Anchorage election and clean energy
In the recent Anchorage election, voters sent a strong message about the future they want: one that is secure, just and thriving. Climate change poses one of the greatest threats to that future, and we need leadership that will dare to tackle it head-on. Right now, Anchorage has an urgent and exciting opportunity to address this challenge and set the …
First big local politics forum draws 18 of 28 candidates
Candidates for local office agreed Tuesday that people have the right to unionize, to drink clean water and breathe clean air. They agreed there’s a need to better address suicide, that first responders need more de-escalation training and that major factors associated with climate change are human caused. They disagreed on issues such as whether transgender students may use the bathroom …
Ready or not, candidate forums signal municipal election season
A political candidate forum at noon today at the Carlson Center will focus on business and the economy. A second larger forum tonight at the JP Jones Community Development Center will spotlight issues such as climate change and equal rights. The two events kick off a series of forums involving candidates for Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly, the Board of …
Opinion: Stand up for equality and support House Bill 82
Celebrating Pride is just as important today as it was in 1969. Fifty years ago, bricks thrown at Stonewall Inn in Manhattan sparked a riot that ignited a global liberation movement. We have trans women of color at Stonewall like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to thank for responding to police violence with direct action, and making it possible …
We’re Almost There!
I was driving my 7-year-old daughter to school, and as we passed one of many Yes for Salmon yard signs, she asked me, “Momma, how will you feel if salmon wins in November?” Her bright and earnest question made me pause and reflect. SO MUCH IS AT STAKE RIGHT NOW. Our environment, cultures, health, reproductive rights, education–everything we love and …
With early voting starting Monday, local groups seek to increase voter turnout numbers
ANCHORAGE (KTUU)- For Alaskans wanting to avoid polling locations for the statewide general election on Nov. 6, early voting kicks off on Monday, Oct. 22. On the ballot are the governor and lieutenant governor positions, legislative seats, a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and a ballot measure about salmon habitat. Evan Anderson, Civic Engagement Coordinator for The Alaska Center Education …