Alaska needs plan now for mail-in ballot publicity campaign
The so-called conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Cour could rule it unconstitutional to allow ballots postmarked on Election Day to be counted 10 days later—the practice that has long been used in Alaska—so the state needs a plan.
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, a candidate for governor, has yet to demonstrate she understands the urgency of this matter. She has already demonstrated a lack of courage on the matter.
This is likely an attempt to follow the leader. Donald Trump voted by mail this week, but claims it is cheating to vote by mail. Trump also lies that he won the 2020 election.
Kowtowing to Trump lies is the Republican playbook. Dahlstrom previously handed over private information on all Alaska voters to the Trump administration, violating the privacy of hundreds of thousands.
The Supreme Court may strike down a Mississippi law that says ballots post-marked on Election Day are OK if they are received within 5 days of the election. If that law goes, Alaska’s would as well. Alaska allows mail-in ballots to be counted if they arrive in the mail within 10 days, if sent from within the U.S., and 15 days if sent from overseas.
Cox had his new “solicitor general” from Virginia, who is not licensed to practice law in Alaska, add to the Supreme Court paperwork pile without standing up for Alaska’s election laws.
Here is the spineless term paper Cox and Jenna Lorence filed in which they neither defend nor oppose the counting of ballots that are postmarked on Election Day. They pretend to be above it all. We don’t care what the court decides, they say, but make sure there are clear rules we can follow.
Lorence is allowed to ply the lawyer’s trade in Alaska only under the “10-month rule,” a law that requires her to get a license to practice law within 10 months of the day she was hired. Cox hired her last fall, creating a new job that was already being performed by two capable Alaska attorneys.
Lorence, a 2017 law school graduate, worked briefly as assistant solicitor general in Kentucky, moving to Indiana in 2024 to become a deputy. She was admitted to the Indiana bar in 2024.
Cox, who is from Texas, joined the Alaska Bar Association last May.
With Dahlstrom and Cox claiming they have no opinion and putting up no case about the merits of Alaska’s law they are supposed to follow, the lieutenant governor and the attorney general are effectively attacking a system that has worked well for Alaska.
“By filing this brief, we’re asking the court to provide clear guidance that protects election integrity while recognizing Alaska’s logistical challenges, so every eligible voter can make their voice heard,” a press release from the attorney general quoted Dahlstrom as saying.
“All we want is clarity in the rules,” Cox quoted himself as saying.
If the Supreme Court bans the counting of ballots that do not arrive by Election Day, what is the Division of Elections going to do? The only job of the lieutenant governor is to supervise the elections office.
An aggressive and costly ad campaign to inform as many people as possible that they should mail ballots as far in advance of Election Day is a first step.
The Legislature needs to demand an answer from Dahlstrom.
Your contributions help support independent analysis and political commentary by Alaska reporter and author Dermot Cole. Thank you for reading and for your support. Either click here to use PayPal or send checks to: Dermot Cole, Box 10673, Fairbanks, AK 99710-0673.\
Write me at dermotmcole@gmail.com.