Alaska's Division of Elections sent 3,048 letters to voters questioning their citizenship and moved them to an "inactive" list ahead of the August 18 primary. Officials attribute the unusually high number of flagged voters, which normally totals around 200, to "old data" from a flawed match with DMV records. The action occurs amid a national focus on noncitizen voting claims and has affected U.S. citizens who now must re-verify their status.
Voter roll maintenance letters
- ▪The number of letters sent is unusually high, as the voter roll maintenance process typically yields around 200 names for review
- ▪Alaska's Division of Elections sent 3,048 letters to voters asking them to verify their citizenship ahead of the August 18 primary
Data matching discrepancies
- ▪Elections Director Carol Beecher said it appears "a lot of old data was picked up somehow" from the DMV during the data match
- ▪A DMV memo stated it provided the Division of Elections with records where an individual's latest confirmed status was other than "Citizen."
- ▪The letters resulted from a process comparing the Division of Elections voter list with data from the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
Noncitizen voting concerns
- ▪The voter roll maintenance occurs amid heightened sensitivity surrounding claims of noncitizen voting, which research has shown to be extremely rare
- ▪President Donald Trump and his allies have raised alarms that noncitizen voting is widespread
Federal voter data sharing
- ▪The federal data is checked through a Department of Homeland Security program that has been criticized for its potential to incorrectly flag eligible voters
- ▪A U.S. District Judge recently struck down the federal database, calling it "inaccurate" and stating it was used to remove U.S. citizens from voter rolls
- ▪Alaska is one of at least 16 states that has provided detailed voter data to the Trump administration for a federal list
- ▪Elections Director Carol Beecher said the 3,048 letters are not related to the data shared with the U.S. Department of Justice
Inactive voter status process
- ▪A naturalized citizen, Chris Waigl, reported she was listed as "inactive—non citizen" and had to send a copy of her naturalization certificate to correct her status
- ▪The Division of Elections stated recipients only need to affirm their citizenship by letter, phone, or email, without requiring documentation
- ▪Voters who receive a letter are moved to an "inactive" list but can still cast a special ballot where they attest to their qualifications
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