There will be a recount on Monday of the Democratic primary results for the House district covering the North Slope and Northwest Arctic boroughs. Representative Benjamin Nageak requested the recount. Nageak trails Dean Westlake by four votes in the certified count. Division of Elections Director Josie Bahnke says the recount will take place in Juneau.
“We’ve got staff and state review board members that will be counting the ballot using four optical scan units. So both candidates have been informed and are allowed to have one observer at each unit,” said Bahnke.
Nageak says he’s hopeful about the recount.
“If it came to be that it was, you know, positive for my campaign, I think it would be great. But, you know, we’ll never know until we do it. I mean, it’s only four votes,” said Nageak.
Nageak caucuses with the Republican House majority. Republican officials have raised concerns about the handling of ballots in the Kobuk River community of Shungnak.
Nageak has hired election law attorney Timothy McKeever to advise him. And he says all options are on the table for pursuing a legal challenge to the results. Westlake couldn’t be reached for comment. And Bahnke didn’t provide a timeframe for when the recount would be completed.
Andrew Kitchenman is the state government and politics reporter for Alaska Public Media and KTOO in Juneau. Reach him at akitchenman@alaskapublic.org.
