Protecting Your Rights: Serving Sand Lake, Spenard and Turnagain

July 17, 2020

In this issue:

• Face Masks and COVID-19

• Absentee Ballot Applications

• Community Events

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

To comply with ethics guidelines about legislative communications during the time leading up to an election, we will be taking a break

from sending regular e-newsletter updates until mid-August. But my office is still here to assist you. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Face Masks and COVID-19

In June, Mayor Berkowitz signed an emergency order requiring all individuals in the municipality to wear masks or cloth face coverings when they are indoors in public settings or communal spaces outside the home. Recognizing that masks are not practical for all members of the municipality, the order excludes certain vulnerable groups from the mandate, including children and individuals with underlying medical conditions. The mayor’s order follows a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Alaska and nationwide.

While Americans have sometimes debated the authority of municipal and state governments to implement public health mandates during emergencies, the courts have repeatedly recognized the right of local governments to protect their citizens. In Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), the United States Supreme Court affirmed the State of Massachusetts' right to "guard and protect" the safety and health of all its inhabitants. As Justice Harlan stated in the majority opinion, "Real liberty for all could not could not exist under the operation of a principle which recognizes the right of each individual person to use his own [liberties] ... regardless of the injury that may be done to others." The Supreme Court recently reaffirmed the right of local and state governments to protect the safety of their citizens with public health mandates in South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom (2020).

Cloth face coverings are a simple and effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially among those who may be carrying the virus and not realize it. In June, two hairstylists in Missouri saw clients while unknowingly infected with COVID-19. Because the two hairstylists and their clients were wearing masks, none of the 140 clients that came in to contact with them were infected with the virus. We now know that approximately 1/3 of individuals infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic. Even in symptomatic cases, State Epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin has confirmed that the most infectious phase for transmission of the virus generally starts two days before symptom onset.

Many in our community are at risk for serious complications if they contract COVID-19. During a House Health and Social Services Committee meeting on June 24, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink warned that roughly one-in-three Alaskans had an underlying health condition which put them at increased risk for COVID-19. With cases on the rise, we should continue to follow the Center for Disease Control's best practices for preventing the spread of COVID-19. These include frequent hand washing, social distancing, and wearing cloth face coverings when social distancing isn't possible.

Absentee Ballot Applications

Alaska has maintained safe and secure absentee voting procedures since statehood. Many citizens prefer casting their ballots from home. In Anchorage, we have seen increased voter participation in our vote-by-mail municipal elections. With the public health concerns related to COVID-19 and cases in Alaska rising, I plan to request an absentee ballot and vote at home. We encourage anyone who wants to vote by absentee ballot to request the ballot early to make sure we avoid some of the problems experienced in other states.

For information on the absentee ballot, visit the Division of Elections website at: http://www.elections.alaska.gov/Core/votingbymail.php.

Apply Online (paperless)

The process to vote by mail in Alaska is now a little easier. Recently, the Alaska Division of Elections opened up an online portal that allows Alaskans to request an absentee ballot for this year's elections. This year, voters can apply for an absentee ballot online by following a few simple steps:

1. Log on to the Division of Elections' Online Absentee Ballot Application System website. You'll need a valid Alaska driver's license or ID card to complete your online application. If you don't have either of those documents, you can request a paper application. You can also register to vote or update your voter registration.

2. Select which election ballot you'd like to receive in the mail. You can request both a primary and general election ballot at the same time.

3. Select your ballot. In the primary, there are two options, and your choice may depend on your political affiliation.

The Republican Party ballot is open to registered Republicans, nonpartisan and undeclared voters.
The Alaska Democratic Party and Alaskan Independence Party ballot is open to all registered voters.

Apply By Mail

Voters may also apply by completing and submitting the printable application form and mailing it in. Once completed and signed, you can return the form to the Division of Elections by fax, email, or by mail. You'll want to be sure to supply the address where you currently receive mail, as the Post Office cannot forward ballots.

Please keep in mind that you can request an absentee ballot for one or more elections:

This year’s Primary Election (August)
This year’s General Election (November)
For all of this year’s elections by selecting “All in Calendar Year” on line 1

After completing and signing the application, please return it to:

Division of Elections Absentee and Petition Office

2525 Gambell Street, Suite 105

Anchorage, AK 99503

You can contact the Alaska Division of Elections Absentee and Petition Office for assistance by calling 907-270-2700 or emailing akabsentee@alaska.gov.

You can track the status of your absentee application at myvoterinformation.alaska.gov.

Community Events

Mark your calendars for this upcoming event:

Anchorage School District School Board Meeting

The Anchorage School Board will hold a special listening session for the purpose of accepting testimony from the community about any ASD systemic program, process, or practice. The session will be followed by a meeting of the Board, during which the Board and Administration will review the school start plan. Both will be livestreamed to the ASD YouTube Channel.

When: Tuesday, July 21 from 4:00 — 5:30 PM

Where: ASD Education Center, 5530 E Northern Lights Blvd

For more information and to RSVP, visit the Facebook event page.

For information on how to testify, click here.