tasha.elizarde
Oct 24, 2018

Counting the Votes in Alaska's Shifted Election

The gubernatorial race in Alaska is heating up. This November 6th, we will be deciding who will be our next Governor and Lt. Governor for the next term.


Up until last week Wednesday, our race was a fight between three candidates: incumbent Governor Walker (I), former Alaska Senator Dunleavy (R), and former US Senator Begich. Governor Walker and former US Senator Begich had a near split vote, many people torn over who they should vote for. Governor Walker dropped the race though, leaving Walker supporters open to voting for Begich or Dunleavy.


Not all voters will be able to vote in the different election, though. On the day Walker left the race, there were already about 1,000 absentee ballots received by the Division of Elections. That means that at least 1,000 people voted in an election thinking it would be a three-way race, not the two-way race it is now.


Ultimately though, these votes can't be changed in this situation. What do you think — in the situation that a huge change in an election occurs, should we provide early voters with the opportunity to vote for someone else?

0 comments0 replies
New Posts
  • Felicity Wong
    Oct 17, 2018

    2018 Midterms

    Discussion 
    November is coming up, which means that the 2018 midterms for Congress (House and Senate) are nearing. Will the Democrats or Republicans take back/stay in control of the House? The Senate? Both? Why do you think so? What will be the impacts of the results? Here's an infographic/analysis created by Politico that is worth checking out if you're trying to follow the different blue and red candidates in the 2018 midterm elections across all 50 states: https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/house-senate-race-ratings-and-predictions/
  • tasha.elizarde
    Oct 14, 2018

    The U.S.A. as an Arctic Nation

    Discussion 
    The US isn't the first country you might think of when you think of the arctic, but thanks to Alaska, the US is a major stakeholder in Arctic issues. In fact, the USA is a permanent participant in the Arctic Council, the intergovernmental organization that coordinates action between arctic nations. What happens when we don't think of the US as part of the arctic? Most of the country is not in the arctic -- only the northernmost part of Alaska is inside the arctic circle -- but the implications of not considering the arctic in our governmental and corporate decisions are many. After all, problems that impact the arctic do not stay in the arctic, nor are they only applicable to the arctic. The hot ticket issue impacting the arctic is climate change, and the changing biodiversity in the arctic also impacts the biodiversity of everywhere else in the world too. The problems impacting the indigenous community are also uplifted in arctic forums, given that indigenous peoples are greatly intertwined with arctic issues. Decisions made at any level ultimately will impact the arctic in some way, so it is important that public officials understand how the arctic works in order to make effective decisions about it. Thoughts? Questions? Comments about the arctic?
  • Felicity Wong
    Oct 9, 2018

    Lowering the Voting Age

    Discussion 
    Should the voting age be lowered? Many students under the age of 18 are already actively involved in their local politics, whether it be volunteering at phone banks and campaigning for a candidate. We've also seen the political galvanization of the younger population after the Parkland shooting in February 2018 and the March For Our Lives in response to it. If yes, why, and should it be a federal law or should it differ state by state? If no, why not?