There are a total of 48 people competing for the seat in the House of Representatives that was formerly held by Don Young in Alaska’s primary election.
On Saturday, the Supreme Court of Alaska ruled in favor of a petitioner in a case challenging the state’s policies on the accessibility of voting ballots for voters who are blind or visually impaired.
The state election officials were forbidden from certifying the results of the special primary unless visually challenged voters were given a “full and fair” opportunity to cast a ballot, which the court overruled and annulled. Until then, the results of the primary could not be verified.
The defendants in the case had filed a petition with the Supreme Court requesting that it reverse the judgment that had been handed down by Judge Una Gandbhir of the Superior Court on Friday. The orders that Gandbhir issued were taken by the attorneys to mean that election officials would not be able to complete their responsibilities on Saturday.
In her judgment, Gandbhir did not provide any specifics regarding what a “full and fair opportunity” to participate in the by-mail special primary would entail for voters who are blind or visually handicapped. This “full and fair opportunity” to participate in the primary election is required by law.
