Politics

Attempts to create a regional tribal government for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta appear to be picking up steam. The Calista regional corporation, working with consultants, now has a process in place for each of the 56 tribes in the region to signal their intent to vote on the creation of a regional government.

Police responded to the Bethel polls at the Cultural Center on Election Day, Nov. 3, for a call saying that the Bethel Elections Chair was displaying campaign material near the voting location. State law prohibits political campaign material within 200 ft. of a voting location. Bethel Police Chief Richard Simmons said that when officers arrived, the campaign material had been removed. 

 Updated 11 a.m. Nov. 4, 2020:

Most of the votes cast in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta for the 2020 General Election remain uncounted as of the morning following Election Day.

Despite high winds and several inches of snow, Bethel voters made their way to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2020 election. 

With many ballots still to be counted, early results in Alaska’s Election Day tally gave some indication where some races may be heading.

If you’re in quarantine or isolation because of COVID-19 and can’t get to the polls, here are two ways to cast your vote.

Kusko Cab will provide free rides to and from the polls in Bethel on Election Day. There will be only one voting location in Bethel on that day, at the Cultural Center, where doors will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. There are several ways to vote before Election Day.

Due to the huge surge in COVID-19 cases in Bethel and the region around it, the Bethel City Council passed a resolution asking people to hunker down on Oct. 27.