James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

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postage stamps

Alaska absentee ballots should have two stamps, but one is OK, officials say

This year’s Alaska general election absentee ballot is weighty enough to need two stamps if mailed — but will still be carried and counted with one.
an APOC livestream

Alaska campaign regulator finds no ongoing illegal coordination by pro-Dunleavy group

Alaska’s political campaign regulator has found no evidence of ongoing coordination between Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s re-election campaign and a third-party group supporting him.

Alaska campaign regulators hear complaint against multimillion-dollar pro-Dunleavy group

A Friday hearing revealed no new evidence of illegal coordination between a group backing Gov. Mike Dunleavy's reelection and the Dunleavy campaign.
Ben Stevens

Former Alaska Senate President Ben Stevens dies at 63

Ben Stevens, a former Alaska Senate president once linked to, but never charged, in the Veco corruption scandal, has died at age 63.
a woman speaking in court

Alaska Supreme Court reconsiders a ban on governors’ lawsuits against legislative branch

The Alaska Constitution has barred executive-branch lawsuits against the Legislature for decades.
A man in a grey suit speaking at a podium.

Alaska campaign regulators will hear complaint against pro-Dunleavy group before election

The Alaska Public Offices Commission will hear a campaign finance complaint against Gov. Mike Dunleavy and backers of his re-election bid before the election.
the Kodiak history museum

Kodiak officials start work after survey finds problems with Alaska’s oldest building

After a survey found structural problems with the 214-year-old museum, the city of Kodiak and a historical society have begun an ambitious repair project.
People waitiing in line at a counter at the PFD office

Where do Alaska’s governor candidates stand on the Permanent Fund dividend?

Independent Bill Walker, Democrat Les Gara and Republicans Mike Dunleavy and Charlie Pierce have different approaches to solving the Alaska Permanent Fund impasse.
tall buildings on a sunny day

Jury awards million-dollar verdict to attorney fired by Alaska Department of Law

“I’ve done the right thing, and it cost me a lot,” said Joan Wilkerson, the attorney who filed a lawsuit in 2018 against the department.
marijuana products

No marijuana-possession prisoners in Alaska, state officials say

The state of Alaska, which voted to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2014, has no one in prison for simple marijuana possession, state officials said on Thursday.
a protester opposing an Alaska constitutional convention

Campaign against Alaska constitutional convention gets major donations from D.C. groups

The largest group urging Alaskans to vote against a constitutional convention has received a major boost from a pair of Washington, D.C., groups.
a woman stands up and speaks into a microphone in a meeting room

Alaska Legislature’s new social media policy nixes banning and blocking

A House-Senate panel voted 8-3 in favor of adopting the new policy on behalf of the entire Legislature.
voters in a dark room

Here’s how to track campaign cash in Alaska elections

A guide to searching the records of the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
Alaska's legislative budget and audit committee

Special investigation finds Gov. Dunleavy wasn’t involved in firing of former Permanent Fund CEO

The investigation was ordered by a committee of the Alaska Legislature after former CEO Angela Rodell alleged "political retribution" was involved.
a man in a tie stands in a meeting room

Alaska Rep. Eastman remains on ballot but could be disqualified after election

The Alaska Constitution’s "disloyalty clause" will be tested in a Dec. 12 trial on Wasilla Republican David Eastman's eligibility to hold office.
a man in a tie stands in a meeting room

State judge to decide eligibility of Alaska lawmaker linked to Oath Keepers

A Matanuska-Susitna Borough man says Rep. David Eastman has violated the "disloyalty clause" of the Alaska Constitution.
a man and a woman at a podium

Judge: Alaska elections officials must enforce disloyalty clause

An Anchorage Superior Court judge ruled that the Alaska Division of Elections has a duty to determine whether a candidate for public office is ineligible for disloyalty.
a headshot of a man in a suit who is smiling

Kenai Peninsula Borough paid more than $260,000 to settle complaints against Pierce

Borough employees and elected officials have declined to confirm the existence of another complaint.
photographers taking photos of two people watching a computer

Five takeaway lessons from Alaska’s first ranked choice election

Political advisers, pollers and independent observers say there are five early lessons from Alaska’s first ranked choice election.
a sign at a polling place

Two rural Alaska communities failed to open polling places on election day

Alaska Division of Elections officials say voting stations in the state's Aug. 16 special election did not open in Tununak and Atmautluak.