By Corey Shepherd
Updated: 15 minutes ago, Published: 33 minutes ago
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As the legislative session drew to a close, Rep. Thomas Baker (R-Kotzebue) cast the deciding vote to kill election reform legislation, which will result in a disproportionate number of Alaska Native ballots being discarded. Baker's votes have caused great harm to rural Alaska, and I cannot understand why he continues to cast far-right votes that harm his community.
In recent elections, roughly 15% of votes from villages and outpost communities were invalidated due to technical errors, disenfranchising people who have lived here for millennia. The primary factors that lead to invalid votes are the witness signature requirement and the lack of “ballot correction,” a simple process to reaffirm a voter’s intent on a ballot that may have smudges or ink marks. For good reason, the Senate State Affairs Committee amended House Bill 129 to include ballot correction and eliminate the witness signature requirement. The Senate also ensured the inclusion of other important reforms, such as language banning the use of artificial intelligence-generated images or videos to manipulate elections.
Collectively, the election reform bill would have ensured that every legal vote was counted, while protecting against hacking and artificial intelligence-driven misinformation. Unfortunately, some political factions do not want to protect rural Alaska's voting rights because they believe that counting every vote will favor candidates who do not support them. Forget about partisanship. Counting Alaskans' votes is fundamental to constitutional rights and the rule of law. Rep. Baker's vote on this bill is unacceptable.
This is not the first time Baker has voted against his district's interests. Earlier this year, he cast the deciding vote to maintain a veto on education funding, despite leaders from around the region urging him to override. Baker has even introduced anti-subsistence legislation that would jeopardize food security to benefit wealthy outside hunters. Thomas Baker was never elected to this position, but was apparently appointed to advance the agenda of Alaska's urban political partisans.
We look forward to the Bush Caucus coming together to fight for rural Alaska. Thomas Baker crushed the Bush caucus and paralyzed the ability of local legislators to act in the best interests of rural Alaska. Remove Thomas Baker and elect a Congressman who is from the region, connected to the people of the region, and who will restore the power of the Bush caucus to fight for voting rights, the right to life, education funding, and other vital issues. It's time to do it. For our community.
Corey Sheppard is an educator and education advocate who lives in Kotzebue.
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