Look for new ballots at the polling booth

MAT-SU -- Voters in the 2002 primary election faced a new reality when they reached their polling place. They were asked to choose just one party ballot after years of voting on open primary ballots, and several voters didn't like their now-narrow field of candidates.

The Green Party of Alaska sued to see if Alaska courts would allow voters the option of joining with other parties for ballot access, Tom Godkin, Division of Elections administrative supervisor, said Thursday.

He said an Alaska Superior Court ruling now allows voters to choose from three ballots -- a consolidated ballot that includes everyone except members of the Republican and Democratic parties, or a Democrat-consolidated ballot open to voters of every persuasion but Republicans, or a Republican ballot, open only to registered Republicans, nonpartisans, undeclared voters or those registered "other."

Alaska Libertarian, Alaskan Independence, and Green Party of Alaska candidates will all be part of the combined ballot. Those parties, in addition to Alaska Democratic Party candidates, will appear on the Democrat-consolidated ballot, Godkin said.

The two ballots are only slightly different -- because Alaska Democratic Party bylaws made the change necessary.

"The Democrats wanted a combined ballot, but they didn't want it open to any other party who had closed it to them," Godkin said. The Republican ballot is closed to Democrats, so the Democratic ballot is closed to Republicans.

Godkin said although one of the few certain things about Alaska's primary-election ballots is change, Division of Elections officials hope the ballots will remain the same for a little while.

"We hope that something firm is established -- because it would eliminate voter confusion," Godkin said. "That's our number-one concern."