The Alaska Division of Elections mailed more than 3,000 letters asking voters to verify their citizenship status in preparation for the August 18 primary election. State Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher characterized the number as unusually high, noting that the standard voter roll maintenance process comparing state records with Department of Motor Vehicles data typically identifies around 200 names for further review.
The verification letters prompted concerns from some state lawmakers. Democratic state representatives reported that constituents who received the correspondence claimed to be U.S. citizens. Beecher attributed the elevated number of verification requests to what she described as outdated information being incorporated during the data comparison process. The Division of Elections did not immediately provide a precise figure, with Beecher estimating approximately 3,500 letters during legislative testimony, while a spokesperson later specified 3,048 total.
Voters receiving the letters are placed on an inactive voter list but retain the ability to cast ballots by attesting to their citizenship qualifications. The Division of Elections indicated that recipients can affirm citizenship status through letter, phone, or email without requiring documentation. Those who respond confirming citizenship status will be moved back to the active voter list.
The citizenship verification push comes amid broader federal initiatives regarding voter eligibility. President Trump and his allies have raised concerns about noncitizen voting despite research indicating the practice is extremely rare. The administration has pursued voting requirement changes through Congress and previously issued an executive order, since halted, aimed at creating a federal verified voter list.
State officials also addressed questions about whether the verification letters related to Alaska’s late previous-year decision to share detailed voter information with the Department of Justice. Beecher denied any connection, stating the identification process used information exclusively from DMV records. The Division of Motor Vehicles confirmed that the Division of Elections had submitted a list of approximately 15,200 applicants in March and requested citizenship information, which the memo characterized as a nonroutine request. Officials suggested that citizens who previously obtained driver’s licenses before gaining citizenship but later registered to vote may not have their updated status reflected in motor vehicle records.
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