| Advertisement |
|
|
Alaska residents will be able to vote electronically in this year’s Nov. 6 elections beginning Monday as state officials expand a system recently made available to military and overseas voters, according to Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell’s office.
Treadwell, who oversees the state Division of Elections, says voters can send in an application on the division’s website (PDF) via email, mail or fax to request an electronic ballot, which will be delivered in 24 to 48 hours; the ballot can then be returned via the same methods. Nov. 5, the day before the election, will be the last day to request an electronic ballot.
“Job No. 1 in my office and the Division of Elections is to make sure every Alaskan, whether they’re in Akiak or Afghanistan, can vote,” Treadwell said in a Monday statement.
The electronic ballot system was initially rolled out to military and overseas voters, who can request online balloting at any time during the calendar year, in late September. In accordance with state law, all other voters have had to wait until Monday -- 15 days before the election -- to request a ballot electronically.
Treadwell’s office says the system, developed by electronic-voting company Scytl, was selected by the state after an extensive review of its technology and security measures.
“Platforms for Alaska’s online ballot transmission are hosted in a dedicated secure data center behind a layer of redundant firewalls under constant physical and application monitoring to ensure the security of the system, voter privacy, and election integrity,” Treadwell’s office wrote.
Contact Chris Klint