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‘I voted’ prizes in Haines promotion break state law; group says APOC approved them
By Will Steinfeld
Chilkat Valley News
A local group has changed an election day promotion that faced an allegation of violating state elections law.
Resident Sheri Loomis submitted a complaint to local and state officials Wednesday alleging violations by Citizens for Haines, an independent expenditure group active in the past three years’ local elections.
This year, the group has organized and publicized a program offering free prizes from local businesses to residents with “I voted” stickers on election day. The program was intended to encourage more people to vote, said Citizens for Haines chair Barbara Nettleton on Friday.
Loomis’ complaint alleges that the promotion violates a section of state election law which prohibits compensating people for voting. The statute, 15.56.030, makes it a crime when a person “knowingly pays, offers to pay, or causes to be paid money or other valuable thing to a person to vote or refrain from voting in an election.”
In a Friday morning email, Haines police Sgt. Max Jusi wrote to Loomis, “after being informed of your complaint, I contacted the Juneau District Attorney’s Office and remain in communication with them as our investigation continues.”
Later on Friday, Jusi confirmed that there was an investigation but said he would not share any details.
Nettleton, however, said the group has already adjusted its promotion to stay in compliance. Moreover, Nettleton said, they had only publicized the promotion after permission from the Alaska Public Offices Commission, or APOC.
“We have been in close communication with APOC,” Nettleton said Friday. “When we told APOC our intention with the program, they greenlit it.”
Nettleton has said the program will now offer the prizes to everyone on election day, regardless of whether they voted.
• This story originally appeared in the Chilkat Valley News.
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