Unofficial Preliminary Results – Oct. 5, 2021 Regular Municipal Election (Updated 10/11/21)

CBJ October 5, 2021 Regular Municipal Election Preliminary Unofficial Results, updated as of Monday, October 11. Ballot processing continues through October 19.

CBJ Clerk staff continues to work with the Municipality of Anchorage Election team in processing the remaining ballots from the By Mail Regular Municipal Election. As of Friday, October 8, 2021 a total of 9,197 ballots have been received. Of those ballots, 6,382 ballots have been approved and counted as of the close of business on Monday, October 11. The updated preliminary unofficial results are attached and posted to the CBJ Elections webpage at juneau.org/elections. This round of preliminary unofficial results include the count of eligible write-in candidates from the 6,382 ballots that have been processed so far.

Staff will continue to process the remaining 2,988 ballots plus any additional ballots that have been returned via mail, postmarked by Election Day and received by the start of the Canvass Review Board on Tuesday, October 19.

At this time, there are approximately 376 ballots pending cure letter resolution. Ballots returned from voters that were lacking a signature, personal identifier, or whose signature did not match the signature on file with the State of Alaska Division of Elections have been sent cure letters. If you have received a cure letter, please contact the CBJ Election Call Center at 586-5278 option 4 to ensure your ballot is counted. Additional cure letters will continue to be sent out during the week as ballots are processed so please keep an eye on your mailboxes and respond as soon as possible.

Keep checking the CBJ Elections website juneau.org/elections for periodic updates during the week.

Final ballot processing will conclude in Anchorage on Friday, October 15 and Clerk staff will return to Juneau and meet with the Canvass Review Board on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 to certify the election. Certification may be delayed on a day-to-day basis, up to three days, depending on the workload before the Canvass Review Board.

Unofficial Preliminary Results – Oct. 5, 2021 Regular Municipal Election (10/8/21)

CBJ Clerk staff, working with the Municipality of Anchorage Election team has processed approximately 40% of the ballots to be reviewed from Tuesday’s, October 5, 2021 Regular Municipal Election. The remaining ballots will continue to be processed starting on Monday, October 11 until October 15 in Anchorage. The preliminary unofficial results so far are available on the CBJ Election page at https://juneau.org/clerk/elections

These initial results do not include totals for write-in votes cast, however, those numbers will be added to the preliminary unofficial results by Friday, October 15 if not before.

Following the October 15 final review in Anchorage, Clerk staff will return to Juneau and meet with the Canvass Review Board on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 to certify the election. Certification may be delayed on a day to day basis, up to three days, depending on the workload before the Canvass Review Board.

Over 300 signature cure letters have been sent out to Juneau voters and are awaiting a response before those ballots may be counted. If you have received a cure letter, please contact the CBJ Election Call Center at 586-5278 option 4 to ensure your ballot is counted. Additional cure letters will be sent out during the next week so please keep an eye on your mailboxes and respond ASAP!

Keep checking the CBJ Elections website for periodic updates during the week of October 11.

The first batch of unofficial results, or a preliminary tally of processed ballots, are expected to be posted to the CBJ Elections webpage at juneau.org/elections after 7 p.m. on Friday, October 8.

Like last year, this year’s CBJ election is being conducted in partnership with the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA). The partnership allows CBJ to use Anchorage’s Election Center and staffing resources.

The Juneau Assembly last month appropriated $700,000 to fund a ballot processing center in Juneau that is expected to be operational for CBJ’s 2022 Election.

How ballots are processed

Ballots returned to the CBJ Vote Centers, Secure Ballot Drop Boxes, and through the U.S. Postal Service have been collected daily and batched. Every ballot goes through a preliminary review process in Juneau and then transported to Anchorage for final processing. CBJ Election staff flew up to Anchorage on Thursday, October 7, and have begun the preliminary counting process.

In Anchorage, CBJ Election Officials are working with the MOA Election Team to review ballots. Any voter whose ballot return envelope has been found deficient for any reason (such as lack of voter signature or personal identifier) will be sent a “Cure Letter” from the MOA/CBJ Election team. Voters who receive cure letters must follow the instructions on the cure letter prior to October 19, when the Canvass Review Board certifies the election.

Ballots received before October 19, but postmarked on or before October 5, will be sorted, reviewed, verified or sent cure letters, and ultimately processed and tabulated, and the results will be added to final results for certification.

Preliminary unofficial results available Oct. 8 with periodic updates until certification

A preliminary tally of all ballot return envelopes received through mail, at Juneau Vote Centers, and in the Secure Ballot Drop Boxes will be available on Friday, October 8, as “unofficial results.” Review work will then continue on mailed ballots, and additional “unofficial results” will be posted online on juneau.org/elections as they become available.

The Canvass Review Board will meet on Tuesday, October 19 to review the election returns, and certify the official results and the election. CBJ Code 29.07 provides for the work of the Canvass Review Board to continue on a day-to-day basis for up to three days. Due to two write-in candidates for the School Board race, it is possible the certification of election results may take longer if the Canvass Review Board has to continue its work beyond October 19. All results will be posted on juneau.org/elections.

Do you have questions about the October 5, 2021 CBJ Regular Municipal Election? Check out our FAQ section at https://juneau.org/clerk/elections to see if they answer your questions.

Some of the recent questions we’ve been asked and added to the FAQs include the following:

I’ve already mailed my ballot or dropped it off in the drop box, is there anything I can do to change my vote now?

If you have already mailed in or deposited your ballot at one of the drop boxes or vote centers, we cannot issue you a replacement ballot. Once you’ve turned in or mailed your ballot, it is considered cast and it cannot be re-voted.

I’ve already filled out my ballot but not yet mailed it. Now I want to change how I marked the ballot, can I get a replacement ballot?

If you have not yet sent in your voted ballot and want to spoil that ballot you received in the mail and be issued a replacement ballot, take your by mail ballot to one of our two Vote Centers (dates/times/locations listed on our website at https://juneau.org/clerk/elections) and they can destroy that ballot and issue you a replacement. Vote Center issued ballots must be voted at the Vote Center and cannot be removed from the Vote Center for voting at a later time.

If there were a replacement issued from a vote center, but your initial ballot was already mailed, only the first ballot received would count and any subsequent ballot would be rejected. In addition to that, your Voter Certification that you sign on your ballot envelope also states that you will not vote in any other manner in this election and has legal penalties for falsely signing the declaration.

Should you have any additional questions, please give us a call at the Election Call Center M-F 8am-4:30pm at 586-5278 option 4.