Andrew Gray
14:57 - 15:56
“I would love to have the freedom as a legislator to bring forth legislation that might allow American Samoans in Alaska who are American nationals but not U.S. citizens to vote in local and school board elections so that we don't have what happened in Whittier where 11 people were arrested”
- Speaker
- Andrew Gray
- Timestamp
- 14:57 – 15:56
- Community
- Alaska News
- Location
- Alaska
From the transcript
And adding this word to statute only doesn't fix that problem. It doesn't give clarity to folks who don't know if they're citizens or not. That is confusing. And the reason why, and, you know, I don't know the specifics about Los Angeles and what they were considering in terms of allowing noncitizens to vote in local and state elections, but I would love to have the freedom as a legislator to bring forth legislation that might allow American Samoans in Alaska who are American nationals but not U.S. citizens to vote in local and school board elections so that we don't have what happened in Whittier where 11 people were arrested, not because they purposely voted, but because they didn't know that they couldn't. And in the case of somebody who wanted to serve her community on the school board, was encouraged to do so by folks in the community, and was willing to step up and provide that public service.
Related Coverage
A one-word change to Alaska's voting law could foreclose a path for American Samoan residents
Measure 3 would add "only" to Alaska's voter law — a narrow safeguard, its sponsor says. Opponents note noncitizen voting is already illegal and say it would foreclose a path for American Samoan residents, U.S. nationals who aren't automatically citizens.
