Welcome back to the KBBI voter minute brought to you by Kenai Peninsula Votes, a non-partisan group that wants to increase voter participation and voter education. You can contact us on our Kenai Peninsula Votes Facebook page.
Last week we talked about absentee voting. Today, we will introduce other ways you can vote in our October 5th election.
We will cover some of the salient points of these methods, but we also suggest that you visit the Alaska Division of Elections website, or the Borough or City election websites to get more detailed information.
For many voters, going to the polls on election day is tradition. You may remember the first time you voted, or when your parents took you to watch them vote.
Voting in person is what most people do. You will need to bring some form of identification. This can range from a voter registration card to a utility bill. You can refer to the websites for further information. But there are other ways to vote than just going to the polls on election day.
In-person absentee voting is when you are voting early, but you are using an absentee ballot to vote with. There are a limited number of early voting sites, so make sure that you know what is available in your area. This begins 15 days prior to the election.
Voting by electronic transmission is a good method for those who aren’t sure where they will be for the election. You will need to register 15 days before the election for this way of voting, Internet connection and the appropriate electronic devices will be needed for this.
You can use special-needs balloting if you are unable to vote because of age, serious illness, or disability. When using this method, a personal representative will pick up a ballot for you. Again, questions should be directed to the election websites if you haven’t used this method of voting before.
And finally, if you go to the polling station, they might have a problem identifying you on the precinct register. It could be a name change, an address change, or some other reason. They will give you a question ballot and once it is reviewed, it will be either accepted and counted, or you will be notified about why it wasn’t counted.
So as you can see, there are many ways to cast your vote and having options that can best serve you makes sense.
Remember, every vote counts and every voice matters!