Denali Borough certifies election after questions about its voter rolls

The Denali Borough Assembly certified the Nov. 3 borough election Wednesday after a former assembly member said the borough has hundreds more registered voters than residents who could be eligible to vote.

The vote was 5-0. Mayor Chris Noel won reelection with 454 votes to 260 for Forest Shreeve and 48 for Krista Zappone, according to the canvass committee's report. Kaija Klauder, William "Billy" Graham and Mark Johnson won assembly seats unopposed. Of 1,824 registered voters, 789 cast ballots.

Joseph Chatfield, a 20-year resident who served nine years on the assembly, said state and federal estimates put the population near 1,615, including about 200 students, nearly all under 18. That leaves roughly 1,400 people who could be eligible to vote, he said. "So we have an issue here."

Chatfield said he had no complaint with election workers and wasn't presuming anyone voted unlawfully. A ballot still comes for his son, who moved away nearly 10 years ago and asked to be taken off the rolls, he said.

He asked the assembly to have the state Division of Elections explain the number, including how many registrations are inactive. Under state law, voters who go four years without voting or contacting the division, and whose mail comes back undeliverable, are moved to inactive status. They stay on the rolls through two more general elections.

The borough can't change the rolls, which the state keeps, Borough Clerk Amber Renshaw said.

One assembly member said his own search months ago found about 1,631 residents and 1,272 adults. He said he didn't think the gap affected the borough election but asked for a resolution requesting a more thorough audit by the Division of Elections.

Another said the borough, whose election code requires mailing a ballot to every registered voter, sent 500 to 600 to people who don't live there. He said he didn't believe anything "nefarious" was going on but wants the borough to stop.

Presiding Officer Jared Zimmerman said a resolution could go on the agenda for the next meeting, Dec. 16. The assembly also voted to keep election records for 90 days. Its code lets ballots be destroyed 30 days after certification.