Anchorage Municipal Assembly
11/13/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/14/2025 13:59
Clerk Issues Statement in Response to New York Times Elections Coverage
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Clerk Issues Statement in Response to New York Times Elections Coverage
11/13/2025
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Today, the New York Times published an article titled "Will People Trust Voting by Phone? Alaska Is Going to Find Out," misrepresenting an option for voters registered in the Municipality of Anchorage to vote via secure document portal in local elections. In response, the Municipal Clerk Jamie Heinz issued the following statement:
"Readers of the New York Times have been led to believe the MOA Elections team has embarked on some novel, unsecure agenda on the bleeding edge of integrity in local elections. Rest assured, municipal voters: the article is an egregious misrepresentation of MOA Elections.
The article claims a new "experiment" will allow all voters to cast ballots from their smartphones. This is factually inaccurate. There are no changes to the options for voters to cast their ballots in the upcoming 2026 Regular Municipal Election.
All registered, qualified voters have a right to vote, and the MOA Elections team works every year to ensure every valid vote counts. Since the implementation of Vote-By-Mail in 2018, we have offered electronic voting options to all registered voters, specifically to make secure voting accessible to those stationed overseas, attending college, or working on the slope and unable to vote from home during the time of the election. In December 2024, the Anchorage Assembly approved AO 2024-109(S) to accept ballots cast by secure document portal. Following months of research, the MOA Elections Team implemented this change for the 2025 Regular Municipal Election. Now, voters may request to vote by email, by fax, and as of this year, by secure document portal.
Like our other accessible voting options, voters must apply to vote by secure document portal before Election Day. The voter is required to provide a personal identifier to maintain election security. The MOA Elections Team then activates the voter's portal. Voters log in using their personal identifier and a unique PIN to complete a virtual ballot by 8:00 P.M. on Election Day. Their virtual ballot is transmitted to the MOA Election Center, where it is printed and processed alongside all other returned ballots.
Two electronic voting options have been available to the public since 2018: voting by email or by fax. On average, fewer than 200 voters request accommodations to vote electronically. In the 2025 Regular Municipal Election, we offered those voters the option to vote by secure document portal in addition to the options to vote by email and by fax. Of the 60,455 total ballots cast in the 2025 Regular Municipal Election, 147 voters voted electronically and the majority - 136 voters - chose to vote via the secure document portal.
Qualified, registered Municipal voters can expect to receive their ballots by mail as usual in the April 7, 2026 Regular Municipal Election. To those serving our country, hard at work in the field and at school, or otherwise away from home, you have safe and secure options to vote in your local elections. We look forward to answering your questions and supporting your right to vote."
The Assembly Quality Municipal Services, Ethics & Elections Committee was briefed on the secure document portal option in August 2024 and the Assembly approved AO 2024-109(S) to adopt the option in code in December 2024.The MOA Election Center is open to the public and will host scheduled tours beginning in 2026. For more information about local elections, visit https://www.muni.org/elections, email- [email protected] or call the voter hotline at 907-243-VOTE.
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CONTACT
Jamie Heinz | Municipal [email protected]-243-VOTE (8683)
Anchorage Municipal Assembly published this content on November 13, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 14, 2025 at 19:59 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]