The Alaska Democratic Party (ADP) is asking the Superior Court to intervene after the Division of Elections (DOE) reversed course and certified State House candidate Jose Tagle for the November ballot. In a motion filed Tuesday, ADP argues that the DOE is now contradicting itself by walking back its earlier position before the court.
The Party highlighted that Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom initially did what she said she would do. She determined the law required her to not certify Tagle after APOC found he had not substantially complied with mandatory financial disclosure requirements. Four days later, she capitulated after apparently receiving outside pressure.
Dahlstrom’s about-face reflects a broader concern about an election system that has repeatedly required voters, advocacy organizations, and political parties to seek judicial intervention just to get clear answers. Alaskans should not have to rely on administrative complaints and litigation to simply understand which rules apply and whether the state intends to stick by its own decisions.
The Division also reversed course on its previous decision and returned former Attorney General Treg Taylor to the gubernatorial ballot.
“Treg Taylor wants to talk about political insiders, but Alaskans are entitled to look at what actually happened,” said Eric Croft, Chair of the Alaska Democratic Party. “He was taken off, and days later a review from the Department of Law—the very department he used to run—prompted the return of his name to the ballot.”
“The Division of Elections has clearly botched handling of our election system this past year,” said Jenny Marie Stryker, Executive Director of the Alaska Democratic Party. “You cannot tell a court one thing, tell candidates another, and then expect voters to trust whatever answer comes next. This inconsistency is embarrassing and a poor example of public service. Whoever comes into office next will have a lot of work to do, because this DOE seems determined to leave a disastrous mess for others to clean up.”
###
