Mat-Su Borough Assembly certifies election results

On Tuesday evening, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly held a special meeting to officially certify the November 8 regular elections.

The process this year was the first certification in which the votes were hand-counted after being run through electronic tabulation voting machines, which required long hours and even overtime from the canvassing board and city clerk’s office.

In a detailed report given by the Canvass Board Chair, Tereasa Thompson highlighted the amount of hours people put in to the working through the ballots.

“That equated to working two full weeks, including weekends, with many 12- to 14-hour days,” said Thompson at the meeting. “The push was real and intense.”

With 40.58% of registered Mat-Su voters showing up to the polls for this election, the hand count was a lengthy process after an ordinance was passed back in October that requires hand counting of all ballots in the Mat-Su Borough, something Thompson expressed serious concerns about, especially an ability to produce election results in a timely manner:

“Can I ask you to think of a team sport; imagine if you will, coming down to the last few minutes of the game and then having to wait two full weeks for the results,” she asked the assembly.

She went on to tell the assembly that while she understood the controversy surrounding Dominion voting machines, arduous hand-counting ballots is not a practical answer.

Thompson did report there were no major discrepancies between the hand count and the voting machine tabulation by the canvassing board. In an election update post made by the Mat-Su Borough last week, the hand count did validate that the numbers from the voting machines were accurate.

However, the canvassing process identified multiple ballots to review and 12 cases of double voting — one individual voted twice in person at different locations, while another voted absentee and in person.

“We had 10 people who voted absentee and then voted at an early voting site, so that’s 12 overall,” Borough Deputy Clerk Lonnie McKechnie said. “I think that’s the most we’ve ever had.”

Information regarding the voter who deliberately voted twice in person on Election Day has been sent to Alaska State Troopers. according to the clerk.

Following the report, Assemblyman Tim Hale was sworn-in for his second term by McKechnie.

Information about the official Election Results can be found on the Mat-Su Borough home page: www.matsugov.us or by visiting their Facebook page.