Since 1994, the Alaska Republican Party has sent absentee ballot applications to registered voters across the state, urging voters to cast their ballot by mail.
The party continued the process this year, despite denunciations of mail-in voting by President Donald Trump, who has called voting by mail “cheating.”
In a mailer sent to some voters last month, the party included a partially complete absentee ballot request form and a notice urging the recipient to “advance Republicans to the general election ballot.”
Through July 31, the Alaska Division of Elections reported that 9,981 Alaskans had requested absentee ballots for the Aug. 18 statewide primary.
Of the requests, 28.5% had come from Republicans. Among the state’s 602,131 registered voters, 23.6% are Republicans.
That indicates Republicans are seeking absentee ballots at a disproportionately higher rate than registered voters overall.
The same disproportionate pattern is true with Democrats, who generally support mail-in voting. The Alaska Democratic Party also sent out an absentee ballot request form to voters statewide.
Of absentee requests received through July 31, 19.7% were from registered Democrats. Members of that party make up 11.6% of the state’s registered voters.
The trend across Republicans and Democrats is likely due to the fact that registering with a party means that person is at least somewhat engaged with politics and thus more likely to vote overall.
Undeclared voters — those who haven’t chosen a party affiliation — represent 49.5% of the state’s registered voters, but only 32.1% of absentee ballot requesters.
Nonpartisan voters — Alaskans who specifically chose to be separate from any political party — make up 13.6% of voters and 18.8% of all absentee ballot requesters.
Voters from the state’s minor political groups make up the remaining balance of requesters.
The deadline for an Alaskan to request a paper absentee ballot be mailed to them is Aug. 8. The deadline for requesting a blank absentee ballot be sent by email is Aug. 17.
All absentee ballots must be postmarked — or faxed — no later than election day, Aug. 18.
Originally published on alaskabeacon.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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