Donald Trump is in big trouble in states that have always broken red and for him. One of the senate seats may be in question, and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has already said that she will vote against Trump’s pick for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat, NBC News reported. Judge Amy Coney Barrett is anti-Roe v. Wade, anti-Obamacare, and anti-birth control. She is so radical that she leaps over and far beyond Justice Clarence Thomas.
In September, “the tribal government of Arctic Village, the League of Women Voters of Alaska and two older women who are vulnerable to COVID-19 sued the state.” Their premise was that a second (witness) signature was not necessary.
Alaska state law requires voters to have a witnesses’ signature, one from an individual 18-years-old or older. These plaintiffs were suing for an exception due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Monday, the Alaskan Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Alaskans and confirmed a lower-court decision. This year, witness requirements will not be enforced. The ballots’ written instructions will differ from the ruling. A record-breaking number of the state’s residents are voting by absentee ballot in the 2020 election. In the past, not having the second signature was a top cause for rejecting ballots the Alaskan Division of Elections statistics indicated.
The division will be sending out an instructional video that will show people how to complete their absentee ballot. In a written statement it said, according to The Anchorage Daily News:
‘In order for a person’s vote to count, voters must still sign the back of the absentee ballot envelope and provide the voter identifier, such as date of birth, driver’s license number, etc.’
Natalie Landreth of the Native American Rights Fund said everyone in Arctic Village is under a very strict coronavirus pandemic quarantine. She explained what the law to have a witness signature would mean:
‘[Y]ou have to break quarantine, essentially break the law in Arctic Village,” in order to vote.’
KTOO reported that Landreth said:
‘Deciding whether or not to vote because you are afraid of getting sick is one aspect of the burden. Another is exposing yourself to disease. There are only two outcomes, both of which are heavy: Either you don’t vote, because you are afraid, or you vote at the risk of contracting it.’
Over 111,000 Alaskans have already asked for absentee ballots this is double what they requested during the primary vote. In fact, tens of thousands have already been sent out, and 10,915 have already been voted.
The attorneys from the Native American Rights Fund, the Alaska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU), and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law represented the plaintiffs.
State Attorney for the Division of Elections Laura Fox said that the plaintiffs have to buy groceries, so they still mingle with others. She asked why people could not get that signature during running errands. She also claimed that changing the law now would confuse voters when the ballots’ instructions differed with the court’s ruling:
‘The division doesn’t think changing election rules in the middle of an election is a good thing.’
She spoke to KTOO about the lawsuit:
‘A court order changing the rules in the middle of the election will cause confusion and distrust at a point where we’re already in this climate of unprecedented public skepticism about the election.’
Twitter world took a keen interest in the second witness law. Take a look at their responses:
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
