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- Alaska sends 3,000 letters asking voters to verify their citizenship ahead of this year’s elections (apnews.com)
Alaska Sends Thousands of Letters Requesting Voter Citizenship Verification Ahead of Primary Election
JUNEAU, Alaska – As the August 18 primary approaches, the Alaska Division of Elections has dispatched over 3,000 letters to voters, asking them to verify their citizenship status. The volume of these notices has raised eyebrows among state lawmakers, some of whom have noted that several recipients are confirmed U.S. citizens.
During a legislative hearing this week, Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher attributed the spike to the use of outdated data during routine voter roll maintenance. This process involves cross-referencing the voter list with information from the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to identify potential discrepancies. Normally, about 200 names emerge for review, but this cycle saw around 3,048 letters sent, according to Division of Elections spokesperson Steve Kirch.
The heightened scrutiny comes amid ongoing national debates over noncitizen voting-a phenomenon experts and investigations have found to be extremely rare. Nonetheless, former President Donald Trump and his supporters have persistently raised concerns about the issue since the 2020 election, advocating for stricter documentation requirements for voter registration and proposing federal voter verification measures.
Citizenship Verification Efforts Designed to Ensure Election Integrity
The letters sent by the Alaska Division of Elections invite recipients to confirm their citizenship status via letter, phone, or email. Beecher emphasized that the division is not demanding formal documentation at this stage. Voters who do not respond are moved to an “inactive” status but retain the ability to cast a special ballot, which includes an attestation of eligibility.
“This process is not disenfranchising anyone’s right to vote,” Beecher stated. “It is a necessary step to ensure that only citizens participate in elections.”
Those who affirm their citizenship are promptly reinstated to the active voter rolls, Kirch added.
Concerns have been voiced by state Democrats, such as Representative Andrew Gray, who noted that all individuals contacting his office about the letters have been citizens. Representative Ashley Carrick questioned whether the letters were connected to Alaska’s recent data-sharing agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice; Beecher clarified that the citizenship verification effort is unrelated and solely based on DMV data.
DMV Describes Request for Citizenship Data as Unusual
Alaska is among at least 16 states that have provided detailed voter information-including birthdates, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers-to the Trump administration. This data is used in a Department of Homeland Security program aimed at verifying citizenship but has drawn criticism for potentially misidentifying eligible voters.
Earlier this year, several voting rights groups in Alaska filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s data-sharing practices; the legal case remains unresolved.
In response to inquiries, the Alaska DMV disclosed that in March it received a “nonroutine” request from the Division of Elections for citizenship information on about 15,200 license and ID applicants. The DMV clarified that it only returned records where the applicant’s most recent status was marked as noncitizen. A follow-up in June sought further clarification on the data provided.
Kirch explained that the Division of Elections had submitted the entire voter list to the DMV for comparison.
Uncertainty Remains Over Large Number of Citizenship Flags
Beecher expressed uncertainty about why so many voters were flagged as potential noncitizens this cycle. She suggested that some individuals may have applied for driver’s licenses before obtaining citizenship, and their updated status may not be reflected in DMV records.
“Many people don’t realize that different government agencies don’t always communicate with each other,” she noted.
Kirch provided an example: a person who was a noncitizen when obtaining a driver’s license but later became a citizen and registered to vote might still appear as a noncitizen in DMV data. He advised voters to update their citizenship information with the DMV to avoid future discrepancies.
As Alaska prepares for its upcoming primary election, officials stress the importance of maintaining accurate voter rolls while ensuring eligible citizens are not disenfranchised.