Following massive pushback from area conservatives, the left-leaning Fairbanks Borough Assembly has abandoned a plan aimed at laying the groundwork for universal mail-in voting.
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Savannah Fletcher, the failed resolution was shot down 9-0 on Aug. 22.
Fletcher’s plan would have directed the borough clerk to explore ways of implementing vote by mail elections across the borough. She previously introduced the resolution, claiming it might increase voter turnout and to reduce the amount of work involved with in-person voting.
During two hours of public testimony on Aug. 22, however, scores of concerned citizens expressed worries about inaccurate voter rolls, ballots being sent to people who no longer live in Alaska, and even those who have died. Others warned that simply mailing ballots to every voter, regardless of whether they wanted one, would open the door to unwanted ballots being tossed out and harvested for nefarious purposes.
Several testifiers chastised Fletcher for pursuing universal mail-in voting without giving citizens a chance to vote on such a divisive issue.
Prior to voting against her own resolution, Fletcher addressed these concerns in a somewhat emotional speech wherein she blasted some of her critics for making her feel bad.
“We hear you. We get the hundreds of emails, and it’s true, we’ve had dozens of folks commenting over the last three regular meetings, and only a handful have been in support of this,” she acknowledged. “There’s been plenty of Facebook chatter, and it’s true … we don’t see the people coming out in mass numbers, saying this matters to us. There are voices here that are saying that, but it’s not in the numbers that are already saying, ‘We don’t trust you at all.’ I had people saying they are disgusted by me. That nothing that could come out of my mouth they would ever trust. Those things hurt and also symbolizes the kind of rhetoric and distrust that is just going to sow further division in our community.”
Regardless of how unpopular her idea is, Fletcher made it clear that she still supports the idea of looking into expanded mail-in balloting.
“I still believe in this resolution,” she said. “I do listen to people, and I don’t want to shove something down their throat that they clearly think is being forced on them.”
Fletcher’s fellow leftists on the assembly came to her defense, complaining about constituents who delivered public comments that were deemed “disparaging.”
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“We’re real people. We’re not monsters,” said Assemblywoman Liz Reeves-Ramos.
Assemblyman David Guttenberg admitted he has no concerns about election integrity – claiming those who raise such issues rely on what he considers to be “discredited” information.
“I disagreed with a lot of people who testified here,” he said.
Assemblyman Scott Crass also complained about people who he thought were overly insulting.
“You can’t start a conversation with shouting,” he lectured the audience, while acknowledging that 85% of all emails received by the assembly on this topic were against the proposal.
Assemblywoman Kristan Kelly tried to blame former President Donald Trump for Fairbanks’ resistance to expanded mail-in balloting. She suggesting that Trump has stoked passions about election integrity, and noted that perhaps the timing wasn’t right, given that Trump is currently running for president.
“I do wish the passion could be a little more polite for some people,” she concluded.
20 Comments
I would venture to say every person sitting on the Fairbanks Assembly has said plenty of disparaging, impolite, unkind, etc. things about conservatives, MAGA and Trump supporters, and anyone else who questions election integrity with all mail in balloting. We just left a formerly red state that implemented all mail ballots in 2013 and now that state is blue. The Democrats know all mail in balloting elections are one way to get their 50 state blue majority (and for better chances add in Rigged Choice Voting too).
Good to hear! Hold the line Fairbanks! Love how the TDS is strong and getting stronger every day!
TDS=Truth Denial Sickness. There’s no cure for you Friend. Sorry. You have chosen a life of magic and fantasy at the expense of reason.
You, just like your party Lefties, are into rewriting meanings also? TDS = Trump Derangement Syndrome. Thank you for proving my point that TDS grows stronger and stronger every day.
Watch out for Savannah Fletcher, she is running for a senate seat as “undeclared” against Mike Cronk. She has proven to be without restraint regarding the Alaska and US Constitutions, and has promoted a move to raise our taxes and ignore the Fairbanks Tax Cap, spending $125,000 taxpayer money to call for the election. Fortunately, 70% voted NO. She tried to push for a climate crisis resolution to make our busses electric. This borough is are going to spend 3.2 million dollars for an animal shelter. During a centennial for Noel Wien this past summer, she led protestors against Israel and for Hamas, disrupting the celebration. We have three borough candidates running against these leftists. Pray for our success on October 1 and for Mike Cronk’s campaign for state senator in November..
These far leftists like Fletcher masquerading as “undeclared” candidates need exposing, so thank you for your informational post.
Jon and Ruth: Savannah Fletcher did not lead a protest against Israel and for Hamas as you falsely claim. The Noel Wien celebration was not disrupted by the protest. There is enough divisiveness in Fairbanks without residents sharing lies about political candidates.
I would say the only thing weird is the disinformation that freely overwhelms our realm.
If they don’t like criticism, maybe they should not have run for office. Keep up the full-court press, they just might decide to resign. But whatever you might think of them, if they were the Anchorage Communist Assembly, they would have doubled-down, limited public input and criminalized “hateful” speech. See John Adams’ Sedition Act in 1798, if you are looking for a precedent. That was MERELY SEVEN YEARS years after the 1st Amendment was passed! If you haven’t noticed, constitutional amendments that supposedly limit gov’t power don’t work very well. Tyrants always makes themselves a victim when they don’t get their way.
“Tyrants always makes themselves a victim when they don’t get their way.” Trump claims the election was stolen from him and he’s been whining about it for four long years. Poor victim tyrant.
You mean like Hilary and every Democrat in every election they’ve lost in the last 70 years?
Your hypocrisy is showing.
Yessss.. Never mind the actual evidence, Plenty of certified video records, and informants presenting verifiable evidence of fraud… Kinda like the fellow who testified about his shipping a truckload of ballots across state lines.. But, the “tyrants” Leftist, democrats, put lids on all of that. Intimidated, threatened family members if they continued to speak up.. But, then.. That is an inconvenient subject, aye ?
I guess Savannah forgot we saw the emails going back & forth during the vote for the tax cap. The one 99% of us stood up before the assembly and were against and they did anyway? Yes, really ugly comment being thrown around while we were talking.
So your feelings were hurt. You’ve shown you don’t give a damn about 99% of your constituents wants & feelings and now you’re the victim?
Please.
We don’t trust you, due to your own actions and words. Yelling vile things at the wonderful Wein memorial with a baby in your arms was one of them. It was completely disgusting and cemented our opinion of you.
Blame Trump? Even more ridiculous. Look in the mirror, folks. He’s a million miles away. You’re trying to destroy this borough right here, right now.
Mo: Of all the things that did not happen, your claim that Savannah was “Yelling vile things at the wonderful Wein memorial with a baby in [her] arms” did not happen the most.
Its funny when folks get complaints about their stupidity it suddenly turns into them being “victims”. Make stupid suggestions you get the prize you deserve ! Folks are tired of the lib/left agenda. These folks should feel ashamed of themselves and stop the finger pointing. The 2 hours of testimony WERE NOT the bad guys !
So Savannah’s sad.
Like we have been since she started with her hatred towards the FNSB community.
Like we were when she screamed filth during the lovely Noel Wein ceremony commemorating 100 years of flight in Alaska WITH A BABY ON HER HIP. Like we were when we finally saw the emails you all had going back and forth during the tax meeting instead of listening to us.
So be sad Savannah and FNSB assembly. We still don’t trust you at all, and that’s by your OWN ACTIONS, not those of Trump or even Hilary the election denier.
Mo–repeating the same outrageous lie over and over again will not transform the lie into truth. Fletcher did not “scream filth” at the Noel Wein ceremony. She was not part of the pro-Palestinian protest. She was there along with other politicians and political candidates to celebrate Noel Wien’s memorable flight.
How are all the people who left the state going to vote to raise property taxes if there are no mail in ballots ???
I am a disabled veteran and a disabled person. Without the access of a mail in ballot you are denying me of a Constitutional right. This is in violation of both Federal and State laws. This will not stand.
You are not being denied anything. Stop with the lies funny zunny.