Register! Vote! Use Your Power!

 Upcoming Dates

• 09/19/2022 – Absentee in-person and special needs voting begins for municipal (local) elections
• 09/24/2022 – Absentee By-Mail Request Deadline
• 10/09/2022 – Voter Registration Deadline
• 10/24/2022 – Absentee in-person and special needs voting begins (General Election)
• 11/08/2022 – General Election Day
  • All Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before General Election Day.

 Why is voting important?

 Voting is the way you can tell politicians your opinion.  Your opinion matters and your vote can help to shape your community, state, and nation. 

Voting helps to decide things like:

• How many busses are available to ride;
• How many libraries are available and how often they get to be open;
• How clean the air and water will be;
• What kind of benefits are available to people who need them (public assistance, food stamps, health care, social security, etc.);
• Who has the right to work and how employees should be treated.  

Voting Rights:

• You can vote by yourself, or with help from a friend, family member, or even someone that works at the place where you go to vote. 
• Even if you have a Guardian, Payee, or Conservator, you have the right to vote unless a judge has specifically taken that right away.
• You have the right to vote however you want.  This means that nobody is allowed to tell you who or what to vote for or against.  It’s your choice.
• Registration and voting are both free to everybody.
• If you cannot make it to the polling place on voting day, it’s ok for someone to bring you a ballot and then turn it in for you.   

I want to vote.  How do I get started?

• To vote in any election, you must first be registered to vote.
• Most staff members at the Disability Law Center can help you to register. 
• You can find more information on registering to vote by visiting the Alaska Division of Elections website. 

 Information on Voting Assistance:

Your Personal Representative

• Are you unable to vote in person because of age, illness or a disability? If so, you may have someone pick up and deliver a ballot to you. This person is called a personal representative.
• Your personal representative may pick up a ballot for you at any absentee voting location in your area starting 15 days before Election Day or at your polling place.
• Your personal representative may assist you in any step of the voting process and can be anyone except a candidate for office in the election, your employer, an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your union.
• For additional information about special needs voting, please contact your Regional Elections Office.

 How Special Needs Voting Works

• Your personal representative will complete step one of the special needs envelope with your name, their information and signature.
• The election worker will then give your personal representative the special needs envelope, a ballot and a secrecy sleeve to deliver to you to vote.
• You will vote your ballot, place the ballot in the secrecy sleeve and then secure it in the special needs envelope.
• You will complete step two of the special needs envelope with your information and your personal representative will be your witness to your signature.
• Your personal representative will return your voted ballot back to a voting location on or before 8:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on Election Day.

 ASSISTANCE FOR VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES

 Accessible Assistance Information

• Accessibility Assistance
• Voting Tablet

 Voter Registration and Absentee Informational ASL Interpreter Videos

• Voter Registration Information
• Absentee Voting In Person
• Absentee Voting By Mail
• Special Needs Voting
• Link to SignVote for Additional ASL Resources

 Voter Registration

• Register to vote or update your registration online. It’s quick and easy! You only need your current Alaska driver’s license or state ID.
•  Register to vote or update your registration using our accessible Voter Registration Application. Complete the fillable form, print and sign it. Send your completed form by mail, fax or email attachment to a Regional Elections Office.

 Early and Absentee Voting Information

• Vote In Person – Vote an early or absentee in person ballot beginning 15 days before Election Day at an absentee voting location.
• Vote by personal representative – Unable to vote in person due to age, serious illness or disability? Have a personal representative pick up a ballot for you beginning 15 days before Election Day.

 Apply paperless! Use our Online Absentee Ballot Application. You must have a valid Alaska Driver’s License or State ID to use this option.

 Or apply by completing the PDF Fillable form. Complete the application, print it and sign the application. Your signature must be your handwritten signature. A digital or typed signature will not be accepted. You may fax or email a PDF or JPEG of the application to our office.

 Vote by electronic transmission – You may complete the accessible Electronic Transmission Absentee Ballot Application for the August 16, 2022 Primary Election and the November 8, 2022 General Election beginning 15 days prior to Election Day. For additional information on online voting, visit our Online Ballot Delivery webpage. For additional information on by-fax voting, visit our By-Fax Ballot Delivery webpage.

 Audio of Ballot Measure Information and Candidate Statements

 Candidate Statements are located HERE Ballot Measure audio is available HERE Click OEP AUDIO to listen to the statments.

 Online text available for the Official Election Pamphlet

• Read the Official Election Pamphlet online HERE

 What can a person do if he or she becomes aware of a violation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)?

A person who believes that there is a violation of any provision of Title III of HAVA, including a violation that has occurred, is occurring, or is about to occur, with respect to an election for national office, may file a written, notarized complaint with the Division of Elections. A violation of Title III would include issues dealing with the following HAVA sections:

• Voting system standards and accessibility for persons with disabilities.
• Provisional (questioned) voting requirements.
• Voter information requirements.
• Statewide voter registration requirements and requirements for voters who register by mail. Complaints for HAVA Title III violations must be filed using the division’s administrative complaint form.
• Administrative Complaint Filing Process
• Administrative Complaint Form