April 2012 Anchorage election

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April 2012 Anchorage election

Bent Alaska has written a number of posts on the numerous irregularities in the April 3, 2012 Anchorage municipal election. Here for your easy reference are all of them. We’ll also be adding links to other important sources as we have time.

Last updated 3 May 2012.

Reporting & analysis from Bent Alaska

Most of these posts include links to media reports and PDFs from the Municipal Clerk’s office and other sources.

4 Apr 2012. “Another few laps: Reports of Prop 5′s demise are premature (& proof Minnery knew he was spreading false information)” by Melissa S. Green. (Also published at LGBTQ Nation.)
9 Apr 2012. “Anchorage’s April 3 election: Some answers, many more questions” by Melissa S. Green.
10 Apr 2012. “Anchorage election update, 10 April 2012” by Melissa S. Green.
11 Apr 2012. “Anchorage election update, 11 April 2012: Anchorage Assembly meeting” by Melissa S. Green.
11 Apr 2012. “Anchorage election woes continue; the ball is now in the Assembly’s court” by Alaska Commons. (Repost of Alaska Commons analysis of April 10 Anchorage Assembly meeting.)
14 Apr 2012. “Anchorage Assembly work session on April 3 election irregularities: The livetweets” by Melissa S. Green.
17 Apr 2012. “Anchorage election: Duke confirms she told election workers not to worry about broken security seals on voting machines” by Melissa S. Green.
23 Apr 2012. “Anchorage Election Commission special meeting of April 21: Holding Duke accountable on ‘ignore broken security seals’ instruction” by Melissa S. Green.
26 Apr 2012. “Anchorage Election Commission ignores broken security seals, recommends no independent investigation on broken election” by Melissa S. Green.
3 May 2012. “Anchorage election: Former election coordinator calls for full handcount; voters file for handcount & audit” by Melissa S. Green.

Reporting & analysis from other Alaska blogs

What Do I Know?, The Mudflats, and Alaska Commons have all contributed reporting on the election, frequently discussing factors overlooked by the mainstream media.

What Do I Know?

4 Apr 2012. “Anchorage Mayor Wins, Gay Rights Lose, And Not Enough Ballots” by Steve Aufrecht (What Do I Know?)
4 Apr 2012. “Yesterday’s Election Shenanigans” by Steve Aufrecht (What Do I Know?)
4 Apr 2012. “The Myth of the Big Election Turnout” by Steve Aufrecht (What Do I Know?)
19 Apr 2012. “Guadalupe Marroquin, Former Anchorage Election Chief, Talks About The Election” by Steve Aufrecht (What Do I Know?). Includes a 20-minute video interview with Marroquin’s observations about how the election was handled.
23 Apr 2012. “What Do The Election Percentages and Numbers Tell? Maybe Nothing” by Steve Aufrecht (What Do I Know?).
25 Apr 2012. “Polling Gap – Dittman Confirms It’s the Biggest” by Steve Aufrecht (What Do I Know?). Includes video discussion with professional pollsters.

The Mudflats

4 Apr 2012. “Election 2012 Gone Wild: The Saga at Precinct 830” by Linda Kellen Biegel (The Mudflats).
5 Apr 2012. “Situation Normal in Alaska – Complete Election Disaster” by Jeanne Devon writing as AKMuckraker (The Mudflats).
7 Apr 2012. “Ballot woes infringe on our sacred right” by Shannyn Moore (Compass opinion piece, Anchorage Daily News). Also posted at The Mudflats as “The Price of Not Re-Doing Municipal Election is Too High” (9 Apr 2012).
10 Apr 2012. “Tell The Assembly That Every Vote Counts!” by Linda Kellen Biegel (The Mudflats).
10 Apr 2012. “Live Blogging the Anchorage Assembly Meeting – The Vote” by Jeanne Devon (The Mudflats).
11 Apr 2012. “Anchorage’s Election Disaster Goes to the Assembly” by Jeanne Devon and Linda Kellen Biegel (The Mudflats). Includes video and a transcript of election worker Susan Betz’s testimony about election day problems at Precinct 330, Nunaka Valley.
15 Apr 2012. “Indications of Malfeasance and Election Fraud Surface in Anchorage” by Jeanne Devon and Linda Kellen Biegel (The Mudflats).
17 Apr 2012. “Baked Alaska: Yet Another Election Crashes and Burns on the Last Frontier” by Brad Friedman. Repost of Friedman story from The Brad Blog published earlier this date.
19 Apr 2012. “Assembly Delays Independent Investigation – Election Commission Begins Investigation of Self (UPDATED)” by Jeanne Devon (writing as AKMuckraker) (The Mudflats).
20 Apr 2012. “Steve Aufrecht’s Interview with Guadalupe Marroquin, Former Anchorage Election Chief” by Linda Kellen Biegel (The Mudflats). Based on Steve Aufrecht’s post of April 19.
23 Apr 2012. “The Not-So-Public Election Meeting – Overheard and Over-wrought” by Jeanne Devon (The Mudflats). Includes video interviews.
24 Apr 2012. “Election Commission Meeting Part Deux: The Silence of the Duke” by Linda Kellen Biegel (The Mudflats).
25 Apr 2012. “Municipal Election Commission Releases Report – Let the Whitewashing Begin!” by Jeanne Devon (The Mudflats).
1 May 2012. “Mudflats Exclusive: Joe Miller Calls for Unity and Right of Citizens to Hand Count of Municipal Election” (The Mudflats).
2 May 2012. “Former Anchorage Election Coordinator Calls for Full Hand Count of Paper Ballots” by Guadalupe Marroquin (The Mudflats).
3 May 2012. “Voters File for Hand Recount of Anchorage Municipal Election” by Jeanne Devon (The Mudflats).

Alaska Commons

11 Apr 2012. “Anchorage election woes continue; the ball is now in the Assembly’s court” (Alaska Commons). Also posted at Bent Alaska.
17 Apr 2012. “When We Lose Our Vote” by John Aronno (Alaska Commons).

The Brad Blog

The Brad Blog is a national blog with a focus on election integrity. Its publisher and executive editor, Brad Friedman, is an investigative journalist/blogger, political commentator, broadcaster, author, and Commonweal Institute Fellow.

17 Apr 2012. “Baked Alaska: Yet Another Election Crashes and Burns in The Last Frontier” by Brad Friedman (The Brad Blog). Crossposted at The Mudflats.
24 Apr 2012. “Embattled Anchorage Election Clerk Seen Partying With ‘Winning’ Mayor from Her Disastrous Election” by Brad Friedman (The Brad Blog).

Opinion & reactions to election at Bent Alaska

6 Apr 2012. “In aftermath of April 3 election, Anchorage LGBTQA community remains strong” by Shannon Sanderson.
6 Apr 2012. “ACTION ALERT: Anchorage Assembly refuses to authorize independent investigation” by Christina Logan.
7 Apr 2012. “An unfundamentalist Christian’s view of the Anchorage equal rights election” by John Shore (repost of his April 4 blog post “Dear young friend in Anchorage: here’s why Prop 5 was defeated“).
8 Apr 2012. “No Questions, Questions” by Melissa S. Green (poem).
8 Apr 2012. “Proposition 5, in three acts and a colophon” by Annie Muse.

“Protect Your Rights” Facebook posts and emails

These show that on February 17, Jim Minnery of the Alaska Family Council, also chair of the “Protect Your Rights — Vote NO on 5” group, sent out complete and correct information on the March 4 deadline for voter registration for those who wished to vote in the April 3 election. On April 3, Minnery sent out misinformation both on Facebook and in email falsely stating that “YOU CAN REGISTER AND VOTE AT THE SAME LOCATION TODAY !” and that one didn’t need to do so at one’s own precinct. Minnery later blamed his misinformation on an unnamed staffer in the Municipal Clerk’s office he claims to have called the morning of April 3, but he failed to disclose his February 17 email which had correct information. Most Anchorage media alerted to the 17 February 2012 email have continued to give Minnery a pass, and have also failed to mention that Minnery gave out correct and complete information on 17 Feb 2012.

17 Feb 2012. “The Other Side of Tolerance (It’s Very Simple – If You’re Not Registerd [sic], You Don’t Vote” by Jim Minnery (email to Protect Your Rights email list, 2:35:09 PM AKST).
3 Apr 2012. “Attention Young People or First Time Voters – YOU CAN REGISTER AND VOTE AT THE SAME LOCATION TODAY !!” (post on Protect Your Rights Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/votenoon5/posts/284402481637633. This post has since been deleted from Facebook.)
3 Apr 2012. “Convince At Least One More Person To Vote!!!” (post on Protect Your Rights Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/votenoon5/posts/284402481637633).
3 Apr 2012. “Last Urgent Reminder About Prop. 5 (Convince At Least One More Person To Vote” by Jim Minnery (email to Protect Your Rights mailing list, 1:23:52 PM AKDT).
4 Apr 2012. “Victory Reflections and Humble Pie” by Jim Minnery (email to Protect Your Rights mailing list, 4:33:32 PM AKDT).

Anchorage Assembly

10 Apr 2012. Resolution No. AR 2012-106, a resolution authorizing the procurement of independent Special Counsel to the Assembly (Anchorage Municipal Code 7.20.060K), Assemblymembers Elvi Gray-Jackson and Harriet Drummond. (Laid on the Table). This resolution failed by a vote of 7–4. See Bent Alaska’s April 11 story for details.
3 May 2012. “Re: April 3, 2012 Municipal Election,” letter from Timothy J. Petumenos, Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot to Ernie Hall, Chair, Anchorage Municipal Assembly.
3 May 2012. Assembly Memorandum AM 2012-280: “Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot (Independent Counsel) Review on Election Certification” by Ernie Hall, Chair, Anchorage Municipal Assembly.

Municipality of Anchorage documents

Election results

20 Apr 2012. “Election Summary Report: 2012 Regular Election – MOA.” Municipality of Anchorage. Also on MOA website here.

Municipal Clerk’s office & Election Commission

The Municipality of Anchorage’s Election Commission has been sorting and reviewing questioned and unscanned ballots since Thursday, April 5. The Municipal Clerk’s office also began examining each precinct to determine which precincts ran short of ballots on April 3 and how shortages were handled. The clerk’s office has sent out a series of media advisories about the progress of their work.

4 Apr 2012. Media Advisory 1.
4 Apr 2012. Media Advisory 2.
5 Apr 2012.Media Advisory 3.
6 Apr 2012. Media Advisory 4. Enumerates number of questioned ballots; discusses role of ESS Labor Services in hiring and payroll for election workers.
9 Apr 2012. Media Advisory 5.
11 Apr 2012. Media Advisory 6.
13 Apr 2012. Letter from Barbara E. Gruenstein, Municipal Clerk, Municipality of Anchorage, to members of the Anchorage Assembly. (Calls for independent investigation of April 3 election.)
12 Apr 2012. Media Advisory 7.
17 Apr 2012. Media Advisory 8. Includes the Canvass Report for 2012 and (for comparison) the Canvass Reports for 2011 and 2009.
19 Apr 2012. “Election Commission: Notice of Special Meeting” by Ernie Hall, chair, Anchorage Assembly. This public notice is undated, but the document timestamp and media reports show it was issues on April 19, only two days before the first of two special meetings announced in the notice.
19 Apr 2012. Media Advisory 9. Also gives notice of Election Commission special meetings.
25 Apr 2012. Assembly Memorandum AM 2012-231: “Certification of Regular Municipal Election of April 3, 2012” by Municipal Election Commission.
2 May 2012. Recount Application requesting an audit and physical hand recount for 15 precincts of paper ballots from the April 3, 2012 Anchorage municipal election. Filed with the Municipal Clerk’s office, Municipality of Anchorage.
3 May 2012. Media Advisory 12. Includes Assembly Memorandum AM 2012-280 and Petumenos report.

Municipal Attorney

As Municipal Attorney, Wheeler serves at the pleasure of Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, who was a candidate in the election; he thus has a conflict of interest in his investigation of election irregularities.

9 Apr 2012. Media advisory from Dennis A Wheeler, Anchorage Municipal Attorney. Municipality of Anchorage, Office of the Municipal Attorney.
20 Apr 2012. “2012 Election Issues, Dept. of Law Matter No. 12-1374,” memorandum from Dean T. Gates, Assistant Municipal Attorney to Assembly Chair Ernie Hall and Assembly Members, Municipality of Anchorage.

ACLU of Alaska letters and voter/election worker affidavits

The ACLU of Alaska has written the Anchorage Assembly calling for the appointment of an independent special counsel. The second letter also included affidavits from two Anchorage voters and an election worker about irregularities and voter disenfranchisement during the April 3 election.