Hillary Clinton is campaigning in the south this week, pushing for voters to come and vote early at the polls. While many urban voters are doing so nationally, people in rural communities may be finding that more difficult.
In the last election, the Obama campaign encouraged voters to come out and participate in early voting, which they did, so the Democrats are trying it again. In Bethel, in-person absentee voting numbers are up this year, according to Lori Strickler, Bethel’s City Clerk.
“We’ve had 66 in-person voters. I normally see 30 or 40," Strickler said.
Strickler has been talking to people who've tacked absentee voting onto their trips to Bethel.
“The opportunity arose to come out and do my early voting, so I thought 'Okay, I’ll take advantage of it,'" said Peter Hjem, who came out on Thursday afternoon to do what he thought would be early voting, but was actually in-person absentee.
The difference between the two ballots is that absentee ballots cast after October 28 are counted after Election Day, while actual early votes are counted the day they are cast. Lauri Wilson, an official with the State Division of Elections in Juneau explains:
“The national polls, of course, do their polling on election night and they typically like to report who they would like to call as the winner," Wilson said.
Unlike absentee voting, early voting can only be done in person at regional hubs: Nome, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Wasilla, and Juneau. Wilson says that those offices have computer access that other locations don't.
“The early voting locations are available in our regional office locations because we have to have access to our voter registration data base in order to pull up the voter's record at the time that they're in front of us voting," Wilson said.
The idea that he would have to buy a plane ticket to Fairbanks, Anchorage, or Nome in order for his early vote to be counted on Election Night doesn't sit well with Mr. Hjem.
“Access to early voting should be across the board," Hjem said.
However, it's not.