Mailouts ignite controversy

ANCHORAGE -- It's the year of the absentee ballot, and local branches of national parties have sent out hundreds of thousands of absentee ballot applications statewide. But not all applications, apparently, are created equal.

Alaska Division of Elections Director Laura Glaiser said Friday she's fielded numerous calls regarding an absentee ballot application postcard mailed out by the Alaska Democratic Party. The postcard leaves open to viewers information such as phone numbers, residence addresses, birth dates, Social Security or state identification numbers, signatures and voter affiliations.

Although both the Democratic and Republican parties sent out absentee ballot applications, Glaiser said there were significant differences between the two.

Republican Party of Alaska officials sent the absentee ballot application letter they mailed out to party members to the Division of Elections for review. An absentee ballot application letter sent out by the Tony Knowles campaign for U.S. Senate was also reviewed by division staff, Glaiser said -- after it was sent.

Glaiser said division staff recommended changes to both applications.

"The Republican Party chairman asked us for approval -- he worked with us really well, and the form got mailed back to the Division of Elections [after recipients filled it out]," Glaiser said. "The Democratic Party did not get theirs approved with us, however, the Knowles campaign … did bring theirs in."

Glaiser said Alaska law doesn't require that absentee ballot applications be approved by any state officials.

Staff at the Alaska Democratic Party refused to respond to questions Friday regarding absentee ballot applications, or regarding concerns raised by Division of Elections staff.

"We can't give any comment on this," said Katie Roberts at the Alaska Democratic Party office Friday evening.

Some of the problems Glaiser identified with the absentee ballot application mailed out by the Alaska Democratic Party appear to have been addressed in subsequent versions that have been printed. Some, however, still remain.

Perhaps the primary concern, Glaiser said, is that the ballots aren't sent directly to division offices. The address printed on the back of the detachable postcard directs the mail to "ADP," at an Anchorage post office box.

Randy Ruedrich, chairman of the Republican Party of Alaska, said the redirection of the ballot requests was his first concern when he saw the Alaska Democratic Party absentee ballot application. He said he phoned staff at the state Department of Law, but the issue was laughed off by staff at the department.

"I viewed it as totally inappropriate for the Democratic Party to be caging," Ruedrich said, referring to the collection of voter -- or potential voter -- information. "The statute says voters may apply to the director -- not to the Republican Party, not to the Democratic Party, not to their city clerk -- it is definitive."

State statute says qualified voters may apply by mail to the director for an application.

"It doesn't say only, or directly," Glaiser said.

Glaiser said she recognizes that the information is valuable to political parties in compiling voter information. She said her concern is that the information is being processed by two sets of staff.

If a voter's request information is incomplete, Glaiser said, her staff is required to send out a letter to request correct information.

Matt McKenna, speaking for the Knowles campaign, said when that group mailed out absentee ballots with a non-division return address, the intent was to correct any potential problems before the application got to the division.

Alaska Democratic Party staff would not say how many absentee ballot request applications were sent out, or when they were sent.

The ballot application sent out by the Alaska Democratic Party was received by at least one Republican voter. The application includes a list of Alaska political parties and non-party affiliations and requires voters to check one box.

Glaiser said when she looked through boxes of mail last week, she saw a number of the ballot application forms, and found several whose voter affiliations were marked as Republican or from other Alaska political parties.

"There weren't a lot of R's, but there were some R's in there," Glaiser said.

She added that some voters were apparently concerned that their name, address, phone number, e-mail address, date of birth, signature and either Social Security number or state identification number would be clearly visible on the back of a postcard.

"I've received some in an envelope, folded up," Glaiser said. "There are people who are concerned about their information, and who can see it."

Glaiser said she believes this information will be dealt with in the upcoming legislative session.

"I'm certainly going to raise the issue," Glaiser said.

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.